


Seven is Magic, but Eight is Perfect

by Land_Sky_Sea_Zero_Infinity



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Adorable Georgie Denbrough, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Although they are still there, Amputee Georgie Denbrough, Book References, Brotherly Affection, Gen, Georgie Denbrough Lives, I can hurt him emotionally and all, I just want them to be happy, Light Angst, Minor Ben Hanscom/Beverly Marsh, Minor Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Not Beta Read, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Pennywise (IT), Romantic Relationships are not the main focus, Some cursing and foul language, because this is the IT fandom and we take denial to a whole other level, but I am incapable of killing him, but that's typical so..., but watered down entirely or just not present, cause this family has been through too much to forget each other, he deserves to live, mostly fluff otherwise, mostly from Richie, no one forgets, other canon typical tags, that clown only shows up in passing mention, that's about as far as I can physically hurt him
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-17
Updated: 2020-08-08
Packaged: 2020-10-20 08:03:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 25,273
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20672000
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Land_Sky_Sea_Zero_Infinity/pseuds/Land_Sky_Sea_Zero_Infinity
Summary: Against all odds, Georgie Denbrough survived. He survived, but has to spend the rest of his life missing most of his arm; a horrible fate for anyone his age.....Luckily for him, he has seven big siblings to love and support him.[or, a series of one-shots (not necessarily in chronological order) that take place in a world where Georgie survives and joins the Losers Club]





	1. Miracles

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not much for opening words, so I'll just say this: Georgie is absolutely precious and deserved to live, and if you think otherwise you can go jump in the sewers!
> 
> But seriously, this work is just that, a set of stories where Georgie miraculously survives and becomes the newest member of the losers.

“I know what I’m doing for my summer experience essay.”

No one knew whether Richie was joking or being serious. They were all too speechless from what they had just done. The clown, that thing, that had been terrorizing them all summer, was dead. Or at the very least, beaten to the point of going back into hibernation, where IT could hurt them no more.

“Guys…” Eddie said breathlessly, the rest of the Losers following his gaze upward. Slowly, the corpses of the missing kids, once stuck floating around the tower of junk like a fly caught in a spider’s web, began to fall to the ground. “Guys, the kids are floating down…”

It was a sign, a sign that the clown’s power was weakening, that for today, at least, the seven of them had won. They watched as the bodies of IT’s victims fell to the ground, alongside a myriad of severed limbs and torn out bones. The seven silently payed their respects for all those whose lives had been taken; Betty Ripsom, Ed Corcoran, even Patrick Hocksetter, they didn’t deserve a cruel end. 

Catching a flicker of yellow in the corner of his eye, Stan turned his gaze to see the body of a small child fall to the ground faster than the rest, landing not far from the well the group was standing near.

“Oh no…” he whispered, the other Losers hearing the sorrow in his voice.

Wearily, Bill stepped forward, life and warmth disappearing with each step. Even from where he stood, he could see the bloodied stump where an arm used to be, ripped off by what had no doubt been the killing blow. He saw the child’s honey brown hair, once soft and bright as the sun, now covered in grim and filth. Dirt was smudged on his face, once clean and fair. His formerly brown eyes, eyes that shined with a warmth and light like no one else’s, had glazed over and turned into a ghostly white.

One by one, the other Losers followed Bill, preparing themselves for how Bill would react to finding his little brother’s corpse.

Unbeknownst to any of them, a stray turtle with a soft blue-green shell wandered into the cistern, observing the scene before it with old eyes. The Turtle saw the tower of assorted junk in the center, made from the collected belongings of IT’s victims as a monument to its depraved nature, the seven lucky few who had overpowered IT, and the pain that was engulfing Bill from the inside out.

Bill loomed over Georgie, his soul silently shattering bit by bit. He had spent so long clinging to the hope that Georgie was alive, searching for any lead to where his brother had vanished to. In his mind, he had envisioned so many scenarios as to what had happened, including many that ended with him cradling Georgie’s body, sobbing his heart out. None of them had prepared him for this.

Slowly, Bill kneeled down, hand stretching out to feel his brother’s check. From even a brief graze, he felt the cold lifelessness that had claimed Georgie, with no intention of letting go. Overcome with pain, Bill’s mind didn’t register Richie place a hand on his shoulder, his friends staring down at him in an attempt at empathy. 

Half of them had never known Georgie, but they knew how much Bill and loved him, and how much Georgie worshipped his older brother. They had known Georgie was dead, and know here he was, lying on the cold cistern floor like a discarded piece of garbage.

Solemnly, the Turtle closed its eyes before turning away, knowing what it had to do.

Bolting forward, Bill scooped Georgie in his arms, not bothering to fight back the escaping tears. The iciness that had been festering in his heart for months beginning to consume him entirely. Bill was prepared to let it all out, all the pain, fear and anguish he had been holding back for so long, released in one heartwrenching wail, when….

“GAAAASP!” Georgie inhaled violently, eyes coming back to life before coughing wildly, reflexively trying to cover it with where his forearm used to be.

“Holy shit!” Eddie shrieked, him and the other Losers taking a step back. How was it possible, they thought? How could Georgie be alive?

“Bill this is another trick.” Stan said firmly, grasp tightening around the pipe in his hands. “There is no way that’s Georgie, IT’s trying to get to you again!”

Bill stayed frozen in shock, feeling the once ice cold Georgie slump into his arms, gradually warming up. Part of him wanted to listen to Stan, his instincts were telling him the same thing, however…..“G-G-Georgie?” he stuttered in disbelief, tears coming to a halt.

Weakly turning his head towards the sound of his big brother’s voice, Georgie saw Bill gazing at him through teary eyes. “Bill….” He murmured softly, voice hoarse and weak from being trapped in a dreamless sleep for so long.

It was there, faintly in Georgie’s eyes that Bill saw it. That spark of light that Georgie had, the one that made him who he was….the one that IT failed to replicate, even as Bill held the bolt gun between fake Georgie’s eyes……

This was no trick.

This was the real Georgie, and he was alive.

“Georgie!” Bill gasped, pulling his brother into the tightest hug he had ever given him. Rubbing circles around the child’s back, the elder Denbrough felt the tears run down his face, words turning into a mess of laughs as he held his brother again after so long.

Georgie, in his exhausted state, leaned into the hug. “I knew you’d find me….” He whispered softly before turning his sight towards his brother’s friends, who flinched at the boy’s gaze. “Thank you….” he said, before falling unconscious in his brother’s arms.

…….

Together, the seven Losers climbed out of the depths of the Derry sewers, leaving the darkness behind. Bill carried Georgie on his back the whole way thru, refusing to let go, until they arrived at the hospital.

.......

Explaining Georgie’s reappearance, seemingly from the dead, was messier than expected. The moment they arrived at the hospital, Georgie was wheeled off to a doctor, while the receptionist called the Denbrough parents, as well as the Derry police. The Losers were bombarded with a flurry of questions about how Georgie had survived, where they found him and if they had found the other children. Fortunately for them, the queries were controlled by Officer Neil, one of the few adults in Derry they found trust worthy (and the man who inspired Richie’s Irish accent).

They told Officer Neil that it was Henry Bowers who was behind the disappearances. They claimed to have been suspicious of him for a long time, that he used the house on Neibolt Street as an entrance to a hidden part of the sewers where he kept the mutilated bodies of his victims. Beverly’s abduction had forced them to confront their theory and learn the truth. There were a few holes in the story, but none seemed the question their tale.

(They would later discover that Bowers had survived Mike pushing him down the well at 29 Neibolt Street, and was arrested for the murder of his father, muttering that he was not done and still had to kill them all. Belch Huggins’ car was found outside the dilapidated house, him and Victor Criss’ throats slashed, only fueling the adult’s belief in their claims. Mike couldn’t help but put two and two together when he recalled Bowers’ blood stained face, alongside the deranged gleam in his eyes.)

Zack and Sharon Denbrough talked to the nurses, trying to ascertain how their youngest was doing. From the opposite wall, the Losers sat around Bill, who remained silent.

“That’s not right.” Ben said, looking at Bill and Georgie’s parents. “You spent so long trying to put your family back together and they still don’t notice you.”

“I-it’s fine.” Bill said, trying to ignore the truth in Ben’s words.

“No it’s not.” Ben reinstated. “You don’t deserve this.”

“I’d take ignoring me over obsession any day.” Eddie spat, already picturing his mother’s reaction to seeing him return home covered in leper vomit. “I can’t go home like this, my mom will kill me.”

“No she won’t Eds.” Richie laughed, putting his arm around Eddie’s shoulder. “You’ve been gone for twenty-four straight hours. Your face is definitely on a milk carton by now. And if she does try to kill you, give me one night with her and I can convince her not to murder by sitting on you.”

“Beep beep Trashmouth.” Stan groaned, trying to focus on cleaning up the blood from his face.

“Are you sure you shouldn’t ask a doctor for help?” Asked Mike, concerned for his friend. That looks like it might scar.”

“I’m fine.” Stan said reflexively. “It’s not that big a deal.”

“Oh that’s some bull and you know it Staniel.” Richie called out, having known Stanley to well to fall for his lies. “You were having a f*cking breakdown after that creepy bitch started snacking on your face.”

“Beep beep Richie.” Beverly, who was currently sitting between Ben and Bill, remarked in an attempt to keep Richie from pushing the issue further.

“No, I have known him for too long to buy that shit.” Richie began, starting a series of debate amongst him, Stan, Eddie and Beverly.

Bill continued to remain silent, concerned more about knowing how his brother was doing than to get involved in his friends’ spats. Besides, he knew they’d be fine without him.

“How you holding up?” Mike asked, positioning himself closer to his friend.

“I’m h-holding on.” Bill answered. “I just wish they’d h-h-hurry up with the t-t-t-treatment.”

“He’ll be fine Bill.” Mike reassured, placing a hand on his shoulder. “He’s strong, just like his brother.”

“How did he survive though?” Ben asked, drawing his friends’ attention, including those that were arguing. “None of the other kids woke up, and none of my research on the disappearances shows any survivors from IT’s attacks.”

“Not true.” Mike pointed out. “What about Dick Hallorann? He survived the Black Spot fire.”

The other Losers looked at Mike with surprise. Even Ben didn’t know that little detail. “What? I like reading about history too.”

“Jesus Mikey tell us something like that next time.” Eddie groaned. “But why did that clown let Georgie live when he kept trying to kill us?”

“Maybe,” Beverly thought, “maybe IT wanted to kill Georgie in front of Bill. That by doing so, he’d break Bill completely then kill him.”

“That’s a f*cking morbid thing to drop Bev.” Richie remarked, disturbed by the implications of Beverly’s theory.

“It’s the only thing I can think of that make sense.” She groaned, wishing she had a cigarette to blow off steam. “What do you think Bill?”

“I’m not s-s-sure ether, but...” He began, before the sound of footsteps caught his and the others’ attention. It was the doctor that took Georgie.

“George Elmer Denbrough.” He said aloud, earning the attention of the Denbroughs.

“How is he Doctor?” Sharon asked, eyes still puffy from her crying fit upon hearing her youngest was alive.

“I don’t know how the child survived almost a year in the sewers with only half an arm and little to no nutrition.” The doctor started, “but he’s stable.”

The Denbrough family let out a collective sigh of relief, the Losers smiling at the good news.

“He’s not out of the woods yet though.” The doctor continued. “He’ll have to stay in the hospital for a couple of weeks. Not to mention the two of you,” he referred to Zack and Sharon, “will have to start looking into prosthetics.”

“What’s a prosthetic?” Beverly asked.

“It’s an artificial limb.” Eddie answered. “Mom says soldiers get them when their arms get blown off in a war.”

“Cool.” Richie grinned.

“Beep beep Richie.” Ben whispered, much to Richie’s irritation.

“And then there’s physical therapists to help him adjust to the new limb. You’ll probably also want tutors to catch him up on a year’s worth of school work if you want him to graduate on time….” The doctor trailed, taking the Denbrough parents with him and leaving the children alone.

Ben was the first to speak. “Georgie’s middle name is Elmer?” he asked incredulously.

“Yup.” Richie snorted, “As if that wasn’t crappy enough, now’s he’s gotta deal with people calling him a one-armed freak for the rest of his life.”

“Oh my f*cking god Richie!” Eddie shrieked, tired of Richie’s antics. “For once try to stop yourself before you let garbage come out of your mouth!”

“I’m just saying. Georgie was already pretty shy before. How hard do you think it’s gonna be for him to make friends with only one arm! I’m just telling the…” he ranted before realizing they were one short. “Where’d Bill go?”

.......

Gently, Bill opened the hospital door, anxious to see how his younger brother was doing for himself. The dusty hospital room illuminated by the fading rays of the sunset, he saw that, compared to how he looked coming back from the sewers, Georgie was better. The hospital staff had done a pretty good job of removing the grime from Georgie’s hair and face, and the once messy stump had been bandaged completely. But Bill knew that it would take a long time for Georgie’s mind to recover from the horrors he had seen. Part of Bill wasn’t entirely sure any of them would recover from IT’s reign of terror in their lives.

Startled by the sound of the opening door, Georgie’s eye darted to the doorway, relaxing a bit when he saw his brother. Bill could see that the child was still tense, a reasonable reaction after falling for IT’s tricks before.

“It’s just me,” Bill soothed. Gingerly shutting the door, he walked up to his brother’s bed and kneeled down beside him. “H-how are you holding uh-uh-up?”

“I’m fine.” Georgie answered, grabbing onto his bandaged arm. “How long was I gone?”

Bill’s expression turned solemn. “T-ten months.” He revealed, catching the subtle change in his brother’s face. “Th-they all said you were de-de-dead, but I never gave up looking. I-“before he could continue, Bill was stopped by Georgie wrapping his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.

“I’m so sorry!” Georgie sobbed, head resting in the crook of his brother’s neck. Instinctively, Bill returned the hug in an attempt to soothe his brother’s pain. “I didn’t want to hurt you. *sob* Your boat, she fell in the sewer *sniffle* and Pennywise said I could have it back if I wanted it. I didn’t want you to be mad at me.”

Ah. So that was the reason. The boat fell into the drain at the corner of Jackson and Witchham, and the clown had used it to lure Georgie in and take his arm. All because he was afraid Bill would be angry at him.

“It’s okay…it’s okay.” Bill repeated over and over like a mantra, trying to stop his brother’s crying.

“Do you hate me?”

Taken aback by his brother’s question, Bill pulled himself free from the hug and cupped Georgie’s face with his hands. Look directly into his brother’s eyes, while simultaneously trying to hold back some tears of his own, Bill spoke with such love and sincerity that his stutter had vanished entirely.

“I could never hate you. You’re more than just my little brother Georgie. You’re my best friend. I love you too much to ever hate you.”

Overcome with emotion, Georgie closed his eyes and placed his forehead against his brother’s. “I love you too.”

“Well if he’s your best friend, that makes me feel better about risking my life a crap ton of times.”

Turning to the side, the brothers saw Richie standing in the door way, the other Losers right behind. “Glad to know I went to the trouble of going to town on that piece of shit clown only to not be your best friend. You wound me Big Bill” He said exaggeratedly.

Georgie chuckled softly. “Hi Richie.” He had always loved all of Bill’s friends, but Richie was probably his favorite, mostly because he always did the voices that would make Georgie laugh.

“Hi Curious George.” The foul-mouthed teen said with a soft smile as he stepped into the room, the others following suit. Normally whenever Richie called him ‘Curious George,’ Georgie would respond by saying that wasn’t his name, to which Richie would retaliate by saying the boy liked yellow and he looked like a monkey. This time however, his attention was drawn to Eddie’s cast and Stan’s still bloodied face.

“Pennywise got to you guys too, didn’t he?” he asked timidly.

“Yeah he did.” Stan answered, tiredness in his voice.

“On the bright side,” Eddie remarked, trying to keep the mood up, “we have something in common.”

Georgie smiled softly, before turning his attention to the three older teens he didn’t recognize. He hadn’t met them before his encounter with Pennywise, and after that he was dang sure to be careful around strangers.

Understanding his brother’s discomfort, Bill moved away from his brother to introduce him to the other people who had saved him. “Georgie this is Ben, Mike and Beverly,” he pointed to each one, helping Georgie know who was whom. “There my fu-friends too.”

“Beverly?” Georgie whispered, seemingly realizing the name. “Wasn’t she the girl you kissed in the third grade?”

Immediately, both Bill and Beverly’s faces turned a bright tomato red, while Richie started to cackle like a hyena. Trying to change the subject, Ben went up to Georgie and looked the boy in the eye.

“Your brother’s told us a lot of great things about you.” He smiled, hoping that would help Georgie adapt to the three new faces. “You seem like an awesome kid.”

‘Thanks.” Georgie said nervously, but warming up to Ben’s prescience. “How’d you meet Bill?”

“They saved him from bullies.” Mike answered. “The same with me. We’re really lucky they came around when they did. We become great friends ever since.”

Georgie smiled, glad that his brother had made friends with these nice people. Subconsciously turning his attention to his severed arm, his expression soured.

“Georgie?” Eddie asked, worried that the progress they made would be for nothing. “What’s wrong?”

“No one’s gonna wanna be my friend.” he sniffled, tears starting to build up yet again. “They’ll all make fun of me and call me names now that I’ve only got one arm.”

Immediately, Bill pulled his brother into another hug. He was prepared to tell his brother that wasn’t true, even though he knew it was, when…

“F*ck those little shits!” Stan barked, earning a collective shocked look from everyone.

“Stanley…” Beverly muttered, surprised by how Stan wasted no time in responding to Georgie’s concerns by calling out the kids his age.

“I’m serious!” He stated fiercely, looking Georgie in the eyes. “You’re a great kid Georgie, and if don’t want to be your friends because you’re missing an arm, they’re dumber than Richie!”

“F*ck you Stan!” Richie said dryly, flipping his friend off with no effort.

“He’s right though.” Mike said kindly, earning Georgie’s attention. “And if they don’t want to be your friend, you can always hang out with us.”

“Really?” Georgie asked, hope returning to his face.

“Of course.” Ben added, knowing full well Georgie would fit in. “You’re Bill’s brother. That makes you our brother too.”

“It will be nice having two soft boys in this group.” Beverly smirked, giving Ben a brief glance. “I don’t think Ben's sweet, new kid image will last much longer with all of us around.”

Georgie burst into a fit of giggles, all fear and dread vanishing from his heart. “Welcome to the Losers Club Georgie.” Eddie smiled.

“Do we really have to add him to the group?” Richie objected. “I mean, there’s seven of us already. And isn’t seven like some magic number or some shit?”

“I-If you don’t like it, we ca-can always throw you back in the se-sewers Richie.” Bill jokingly offered, the other Losers agreeing with him, solely to annoy Richie.

“Okay, f*ck you all!” Richie shouted dramatically, flipping off all his friends. “F*ck you! F*ck your sisters! And f*ck your moms! Especially yours Eds!”

“Beep beep Richie!” Georgie exclaimed through the laughs as the rest of Bill’s friends continued to heckle Richie.

Looking around at the scene before him, Bill felt happier now than he had in a long time. His brother was back, and his friends had accepted him into the group with open arms. He knew that the scares from their battle with IT wouldn’t fade for a long time, but at least they had each other.

……….

After what had seemed like hours of discussing what to do now that Georgie was back, the Denbroughs had finally caught a break from all the questions and planning. Noticing their son and his friends had seemingly vanished, the two came to the conclusion that they were with Georgie. After all, Bill had been so damn insistent that Georgie was alive, and there wasn’t a snowball’s chance in hell of him leaving Georgie again. They opened the door, and couldn’t help but smile at the scene before them.

Their sons laid in the hospital bed together, their friends resting their heads against the sides. Georgie’s remaining hand was entwined with Richie’s, who grabbed Eddie’s, who in turn held Mike’s, who wrapped around Stan’s, whose free hand took Ben’s, who continued the chain with Beverly, who had taken Bill’s hand, who wrapped his arm around Georgie, letting the boy’s head lay on his chest.

Exchanging a glance, the two adults decided it was best to leave the eight children alone, shutting the door behind them.

Unknown to them or the sleeping children, the Turtle that had watched them in the cistern was resting in the corner of the room. Only it could see the bonds that connected the eight children together, the colors of their individual souls linked by a warm silver glow.

Smiling, the Turtle one again vanished, contempt with letting this band of brothers and a sister bask in the warmth of their love for each other, knowing that whatever they would face, it would be as one.

…….

Down in the depths of the earth, below even the murky shadows of the Derry sewers, a trio of lights lay dying on the floor. How could this be? How could IT fall to a group of mortal children?

IT had underestimated their bond, and that had allowed them to wound IT more than ever expected. Now IT, in IT’s true form, stands weakened, IT’s light not turned to darkness, but rather burned away by one brighter than IT’s own.

.......

The next day, the house at 29 Neibolt Street was found collapsed into a sinkhole that had mysteriously appeared over night.


	2. Birthday Bug

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Georgie's birthday, and Bill just wants it to be perfect. What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the positive feedback thus far. Now originally, I was gonna do a one-shot about Georgie having a nightmare and Bill's subsequent comforting, but then both Jackson Robert Scott and Steven King's real life birthdays passed not long after this fic's publication (little angel's 11 now, *sniff* my babies are growing up so fast and I am not okay with it), I figured it was a sign that the universe was giving me a sign to do a one-shot about Georgie's birthday instead.
> 
> And when the universe says something, I listen to it! Enjoy!

September 18th, 1989

“Richie called and said Beverly’ll stay the night at his place. We’re heading over to the club house now to help set up.” Mike said, Bill catching the sound of Stan’s voice talking to someone in the background.

“Tu-thanks Mike. Su-sorry for making you guys wake up ea-early.”

“No sweat man. Besides, I’m usual up around that time anyway, and today’s a special occasion.”

“I’m just wu-wu-worried that su-su-su-something will go wu-wrong and ru-ruin everything.” Bill moaned, overwhelmed by the pressure he had put on himself.

Georgie had finally been released from the hospital the other day, just in time for something that, for the longest time, Bill wasn’t sure would ever be a joyous occasion again; his birthday.

Even before his disappearance, Bill was obsessed with making his brother’s special day as perfect as can be, and he tried to top himself every year. Even Stan, the most precise and obsessive of the Losers, found Bill’s birthday party complex to be a bit much.

“Everything will be fine Bill.” Came Stan’s voice. “So one little thing is out of place, no one’s gonna make a big deal out of it.”

Silence.

“Wu-who are you and what ha-have you done with Stan?” The Jewish boy rolled his eyes, ignoring Mike’s failed attempts to suppress a giggle.

“Cough!" Bill hacked, followed up by two more. “Cough! Cough!”

“You okay Bill?”

“I’m fine.” He answered, Stan catching the tiredness in his voice. “I’ve just bu-been feeling this tickle in the ba-ba-back of my throat.”

As much as he wanted to ask if Bill was feeling okay, Stan held his tongue. If asked Bill if he felt sick, Bill would deny it at every turn. “Okay, just don’t push yourself too hard. See you later, bye.” With that, he hung up.

Bill scoffed, knowing that Stan thought he was coming down with something. “I’m not lu-lu-letting anything ruin today. Georgie deserves it.”

………

Bill wasn’t a morning person, he preferred to sleep in when he had to. But if there was ever a day to make an exception, it was today. Peering inside his brother’s room, he could see Georgie’s sleeping form lying on his bed, chest rising and falling slowly. Bill smiled, watching as Georgie turned on his side, pulling his stuffed animals closer to his chest.

Clearing his throat, Bill walked over to his brother’s bed, and started to gently nudge him awake. “Georgie? Come on. Wu-wake up.”

Georgie stirred, trying to shoo his older brother away. “Bill stop.” He said groggily. “I’m tired, I wanna sleep.”

Ironic, Bill laughed. Normally it was Georgie who would try to wake him up, usually by cannonballing onto his bed and shaking him down. “Okay. I-if that’s what the birthday bu-boy wants.”

Immediately, Georgie’s eyes opened as he shot out of bed. “It’s my birthday?” He asked, having honestly forgotten when his birthday was.

Bill smiled. “Happy Birthday Georgie.” He said as Georgie’s face lit up before pulling him into a hug.

Smiling, Georgie returned the hug, before running around his room, joyously shouting “IT’S MY BIRTHDAY!” over and over.

Watching his brother’s excitement, Bill ignored the sudden feeling of drowsiness as he pulled a small box out of the pocket of his robe. “Here’s your fu-first present, baby brother.”

“I’m eight now.” Georgie objected, trying not laugh. “I’m not a baby anymore!”

Bill just smiled. “You’ll ah-always be my bu-baby brother. Now go on, open it.”

Georgie opened the box, popping the cover off with his thumb. Inside, he discovered a drawing of him, Bill, and the other Losers, hanging out together in their clubhouse in the Barrens, the words “Happy Birthday” written in bright colors. They were each wearing the shower caps Stan had gotten them, all gathered around Georgie as he blew out candles on a birthday cake.

Putting the box down, Georgie looked his brother in the eye and pulled him into another hug. “Thanks Billy.”

Partially melting into the hug, Bill couldn’t help but smile. For too long, Bill was afraid that Georgie would never get the chance to be happy about celebrating his birthday. But now here he was, missing most of his right arm, but otherwise well, and more importantly, alive. It was that reason why he had to make today perfect. After everything they and their friends had been through, Georgie deserved the best birthday party Bill could come up with.

As he let go of his brother, the feeling of drowsiness returned, and Bill started to sneeze uncontrollably.

“Are you okay Bill?” Georgie asked. Placing his hand on Bill’s forehead, just as their mother would do when one of them looked sick, he found that his brother was very warm. “You seem kinda sick.”

“I’m fu-fu-fine Georgie. I’m nu-not sick.”

……..

“Hundred and one point four.” Sharon Denbrough read off the thermometer. “You’re sick.”

“I’m nu-nu-not-“Bill began, before he cut himself off with a sneeze. “sick.”

“You’re sick.” His mother restated firmly. “Go lay in bed. We’ll bring you something back from the dinner for breakfast.”

“But-!”

“No buts Bill. Now,” she turned to other son, “come on Georgie you’re father’s already in the car.”

Georgie didn’t want to go without his brother, but one look from Bill told him that he should. “Okay. See you later Billy.” He moaned, locking the door behind him.

“Shit!” Bill cursed. So much for the perfect birthday.

……..

“…and one plate of scrambled eggs, with a side of tater tots, for the birthday boy.” The waitress grinned as she put Georgie’s plate down in front of him. “Enjoy.”

“Thank you.” Georgie said politely as she walked away.

“Sweetie if you want any help….” Sharon began, only for her husband to cut her off.

“Honey, you have to let him learn to do these things for himself.” Georgie’s prosthetic was still in the shop, and wouldn’t be ready until the end of the month. The doctor had advised that until then, Georgie learn how to do things with only a single hand, though his mother had developed a habit of offering her assistance for everything.

“It’s fine dad.” Georgie said solemnly, taking a bite out of a tater tot drenched in ketchup.

“What’s wrong bud?” Zack asked.

“I’m just sad Bill couldn’t come with us.” It wasn’t fair, Georgie thought. Bill never stopped looking for him, even when their parents had given up hope. It felt wrong to celebrate his birthday while his brother was cooped up in bed.

“Hey,” Zack reassured, placing a hand on his son’s shoulder. “I’m sure he wants you to have a good birthday, even if he’s stuck in bed.”

Georgie shrugged. “I guess.” He turned his head towards the window, and watched the fall leaves fluttering in the crisp breeze. It was almost identical to his birthday last year, where he and Bill had spent a few hours just jumping into leaf piles in the front yard, before his brother took him to Richie’s for cake and party games.

Georgie continued to stare out the window, when suddenly, someone snuck up behind him and covered his eyes. “Hey!” he yelped, startled. “Stop that.”

“You have to say the magic word first.” That person said, Georgie recognizing her voice immediately.

“Beverly!” Georgie cried happily, Bev taking her hands off him before sitting down at the table.

“Hey, Happy Birthday!” She smiled, taking a moment to ruffle Georgie’s hair. “How old are you now? Five, six?”

“I’m eight.” Georgie stated matter-of-factly. “What are you doing here?”

“Running off that’s what!” Shouted Richie, who ran over to the Denbrough table, partly out of breath.

“I did not.” Bev countered slyly, the Denbrough parents exchanging glances as they continued their breakfast.

“Did too!” Richie objected. “I almost fell and crushed all the party snacks chasing after you!” He continued to rant, falling to notice the look in Beverly’s eyes that, had he noticed, would have made him realize he said too much.

“What party?” Georgie asked, interrupting Richie, who seemed to realize his mistake. 

“Ah shit.”

“Language.” Zack reprimanded haphazardly. He had long learned that attempting to keep Richie’s trademark Trashmouth under control was a futile effort.

“Well,” Beverly began, “Bill’s been planning a birthday party for you.”

“Really?” Georgie’s eyes widened at the revelation.

“Yup.” Richie continued on. “He was gonna take you to the arcade, then you’d catch a movie….”

“While the rest of us set everything up at the club house.” Bev finished. “Though it looks like the surprise is out of the bag.”

“Well that explains earlier.” Sharon remarked, taking a sip of her coffee.

“Hey where is Big Bill anyway?” Richie asked, looking around the dinner for his friend.

“He was feeling kind of sick, so mom made him stay home.” Georgie answered, disappointment on his face. He understood now why Bill had given him that drawing earlier in his room, it wasn’t just a gift; it was something Bill had wanted to happen today.

“Are you kidding me!?” Richie groaned, “I spent hours cleaning up the guest room for Molly over here to spend the night in, only to find out it was for nothing! F*ck me.”

“Hmm…..” Georgie mused, a smile spreading across his features. “I have an idea…..”

……..

“I’m home!” Georgie announced as he entered his brother’s room.

“Hey.” Bill said, looking up from the image he was drawing. He sounded a little better, but only just by a hair. “How was bru-breakfast?”

“It was nice.” Georgie answered, sitting himself next to his brother. “I wish you came though.”

Bill nodded, before returning to his drawing. “So what movie did you want to take me to?”

“Whatever you wanted to se-hey!” Bill started to answer, before realizing what his brother had said. “Hu-how did you….?”

“Richie and Beverly told me.” Georgie remarked, causing his brother to groan.

“Dang it.” He sighed. “I’m su-sorry we couldn’t do any of that.”

“It’s okay.”

“No it i-isn’t!” Bill countered firmly. “I wanted today to be perfu-fect. After everything we’ve been through, I just wu-wanted to give you a ha-happy birthday.” He slumped down on his bed, disappointed in himself for failing to uphold his promise, and for no doubt upsetting his friends, who had taken the time to listen to his insistence that today go without a hitch only for him to mess it up.

Understanding his brother’s dismay, Georgie laid down beside him. “Bill,” he said, his brother turning to the sound of his voice. “You kept looking for me when no one else did. You dragged our friends into the sewers to find me. Which was still gross by the way.”

Bill chuckled, feeling lighter. “It really wu-was.”

“You don’t have to all that stuff for me. Just having you as my brother, being here on my birthday, it’s all I want.” He whispered softly, snuggling up against Bill’s chest. “It’s enough for me.”

Holding back tears, Bill just stayed still. Hearing his brother’s words, that just being together was all he’d want, was enough to dispel any sadness he would still have. “I love you Georgie.”

“I love you too Bill.” Georgie whispered before getting up. “Now come with me.” he said, grabbing his brother’s hand. “You’re gonna wanna be downstairs.”

Surprised, Bill got up. “What for?”

“You’ll see.” Georgie giggled, leading his brother behind him.

Following his brother’s lead, Bill left the comfort of his room and went downstairs, where, much to his surprise, he saw the rest of the Losers setting up the room with all the supplies they’d gotten for the party.

“Richie that banner needs to be higher.”

“What?” Eddie objected to Stan’s order. “No it clearly needs to go more to the right.”

“Ladies, ladies. You’re both pretty. Can I go now?” Richie moaned.

“Guys I don’t think we have enough candy to fill the piñata!” Ben called from the kitchen. “Can someone get more?”

“Can’t.” Said Beverly, hanging up balloons (all yellow, no red). “Have one of the Denbroughs get some more.”

“They just left with Mike to pick-up the cake!”

“Wu-wu-what’s all this?” Bill asked in disbelief.

“I figured if you couldn’t take me to the party, then I’d bring the party here.” Georgie answered sweetly.

Smiling, Bill said, “How’d I get so lucky to have you as a brother?” Maybe today could still work out after all….

………

By the time the parents had returned, the whole living room had been decorated in party supplies: Balloons tied to the stairs, a banner hanging in front of the window, bowls filled with snacks, it was perfect. The Losers spent the rest of the day playing games (the sick Bill participating as much as he could), watching cartoons that Georgie loved (Richie having an impression for almost every character), and eating from the snack bowls.

But everyone’s favorite moment was what happened with the piñata.

When Bill said he wanted Ben to make a piñata for the party, someone had the bright idea to make it a Pennywise piñata. Georgie was stunned at the sight of the thing, while the Denbrough parents were more than a little off put, Sharon making a side comment on how she was glad that the clown wasn’t real.

“We could freak them out so much right now.” Richie whispered to Stan, who did his best not to laugh.

Everyone had cheered for Georgie when he not only cracked the clown-shaped piñata on the first try, but broke it in completely in half. Though, he did take his apparent thrill at taking his anger out on the Pennywise proxy too far, stomping on the piñata’s head as if it was a bug. Richie and Eddie had to pull him away before he completely crushed all the candy.

When his parents brought out the cake, and they all sang happy birthday, Georgie’s smile lit up the entire room, especially after he shoved his face into the cake (much to Eddie’s dismay).

Now the birthday boy sat on the couch, surrounded by his friends. All except Richie, who was on the floor, surrounded by candy wrappers.

“Idiot.” Eddie spat. “I told you not to eat so much candy before the cake came out.”

“Not my fault.” Richie objected, swatting a stray wrapper from his face. “Ben made it the piñata too big.”

“Well I think he did a great job.” Bev said, wiping some frosting off Ben’s face with her fingers.

“Of course you would…” Richie groaned as he got up. Eyeing Stan, he saw that the Jewish boy was methodically eating his cake in small bites. “What’s the matter? Afraid some of Georgie’s boogers got into your piece?”

Stan immediately put the plate down. “And now I’ve lost my appetite.”

“Sorry Stanny.” Georgie apologized, frosting still clinging to his eyebrows.

‘Tu-thanks for doing this guys.” Bill smiled.

“Don’t mention it.” Mike said, currently engaged in a second piece of cake. “Let’s just hope Georgie doesn’t get sick when you’re birthday rolls around.”

“I won’t!” Georgie objected fiercely. “I don’t get sick easy.”

“Care to put your money where your mouth is George of the Jungle?” Richie remarked. “I bet that if you get sick, I get any and all slices of cake you would get.”

“Richie,” Bill began, only for his brother to intervene.

“And if I don’t…..you have to do a funny looking dance in front of all of us. And we get it on video!”

“Whoa.” Beverly said, impressed. “I think we’ve finally destroyed Georgie’s sweet little brother routine.”

Richie narrowed his eyes. “Spit swear on it?”

“Deal.” Georgie agreed, the two of them spitting into their palms before shaking hands.

“Oh my god.” Eddie gagged, “That is disgusting.”

“I coulda said we all go have sex in the sewers!” Everyone threw pillows at Richie, disgusted by what he had said.

“That’s messed up.” Mike remarked, trying to forever erase that comment from his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Birthday fluff, check. Sorry if the ending was a bit abrupt, it just felt right to me.
> 
> Since Richie is the only character who's birthday is confirmed, I'm just gonna headcanon that 1) The Losers share birthdays with their young actors (Fun Fact: Jeremy and James Ransone share June 2nd as a birthday), and 2) As both Chosen and Isaiah are the oldest of their respective cast (with a 27 year age-gap between the two of them, OMG!), and how Mike always came off as more mature than the rest of the Losers, he is a year older than the rest of them, born in '75 instead of '76 (still making him younger than Isaiah, who was born in '74). 
> 
> Next one is probably gonna be the aforementioned "Georgie-has-nightmares-" one, or a Halloween-focused one if that takes too much time. And can someone please draw fanart of one-armed Georgie going to town on the Pennywise pinata (a last minute addition, which I what I was most proud of), as well as the drawing Bill made for Georgie? I'd make 'em myself but I don't have any artistic talent whatsoever!
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you - (realizes what day it is as he prepares to post this), oh, and a Happy Birthday to Noah Schnapp and his sister Chloe - next time!


	3. Night Terrors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Georgie keeps having nightmares, Bill tries to get his brother to talk about it. With nothing else left, he opens up about his own night terrors.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, Georgie having nightmares! It kills me to torment him, really it does! I just want my babies to be happy!
> 
> On a more comedic note, I have something I've been waiting to do since the second trailer for chapter 2 dropped:
> 
> Pennywise: For 27 years, I dreamt of you... I craved you... I've missed you!
> 
> Me: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJv9r5SQ9Qg
> 
> He's like that clingy ex-boyfriend/girlfriend that you break up with, don't think about for years until they send you a text saying "I miss you."
> 
> Enjoy!

September 6th, 1989

_Run._

_That was all Georgie could do._

_Run, or the clown would get him._

_Clutching the bleeding stump that was his arm, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him, ignoring the rancid smell of the Derry sewers that filled up his lungs._

_He couldn’t stop, he could hear the clown catching up to him._

_How long had he been running? Hadn’t he just gone this way? Where did these tunnels end? Was there any way out? Overwhelmed, Georgie’s mind couldn’t come up with the answers he desperately needed. He just keep running, failing to notice the debris floating in the water, causing him to trip and fall face first into the vile liquid._

_Vomiting up the disgusting water, Georgie struggled to lift himself up. Every part of him was screaming to get up, to keep going, but he couldn’t move. A combination of shock, blood lose and fatigue had overwhelmed him._

_“Georgie…..” Pennywise’s voice rang out seemingly from all directions. “Where are you? Don’t you want your boat back?”_

_“Come on!” Georgie pleaded to himself, overwhelmed with fear. “Get up! Get up!”_

_“Georgie.” The child looked up upon hearing his name. Surprised, yet relieved at the same time, he saw his brother standing above him._

_“Billy….” Georgie whispered, thrilled that his brother had come to his rescue. “Help!” He pleaded, pulling himself towards Bill._

_“You couldn’t even last five minutes before you got into trouble.” Bill spat harshly, looking down at Georgie with a disgusted sneer. “You barge into my room, begging me to make you that stupid boat, and you lose it. Good going you little shit.”_

_Georgie froze, horrified by his brother’s cruel words. “Did you ever stop and think that I just wanted to be left alone! That I hate it when you expect me to keep you happy every f*cking second of every day!”_

_“Billy I….” Georgie murmured, tears slowly falling down his cheeks. A cruel laughter echoed throughout the sewers. Pennywise was nearby. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to-”_

_“You didn’t mean to what!?” Bill screamed, leaning down to look the crying Georgie in the eye. “You didn’t mean to come into my life, and ruin what I had! I never wanted a brother, especially one as cowardly as you! For the last seven years I’ve had to deal with you just leeching off me like the f*cking parasite you are. I’ve had to clean up every mess you’ve gotten yourself into, and now….” Bill turned around, leaving his crying brother stuck in the filthy water. “You got yourself into this mess, _YOU_ get yourself out of it.” He whispered cruelly, ignoring his brother’s cries._

_“Billy….” Georgie cried, heartbroken by Bill’s words. His brother looked at him one final time, face obscured by shadows, eyes glowing a faint yellow._

_“I hate you.” He snarled before vanishing within the shadows._

_Georgie froze in his tracks, no longer able to move. Snot dripping from his nose, he burst into tears, completely broken from his brother’s torment. Had Bill really felt that way all these years? Was everything just Bill acting the way a big brother was supposed to? Sobs wrecking his small body, he failed to notice the shadow of a tall figure fall down on him._

_“Found you~” Pennywise giggled, Georgie momentarily ceasing his sobs. Turning his head, he saw the dreaded clown towering above him, looking back at him with a feral, predatory gaze, smiling a wicked smile with his shark-like teeth._

_Teeth stained red with Georgie’s blood._

_Georgie tried to scream, only for the clown to wrap a hand around his throat. IT lifted the frighten child up to its eye level, amused by the sound of the boy’s choking._

_“You shouldn’t run off in the sewers.” IT mocked, using the tone a mother would use to scold her child. “You could get lost.”_

_“Please…” Georgie sniffled, despair swallowing him bit by bit with each passing second. “Please let me go.”_

_Pennywise cackled, making his intent clear. _“**Time to float.”**_ He growled in an otherworldly, alien voice._

_Tightening his grip on Georgie’s throat as to forcibly prevent him from trying to escape, Pennywise opened his mouth wider than it any right to. Georgie, unable to turn away, stared down the clown’s throat. Immediately his eyes were drawn to three swirling lights that shined at the bottom of an endless chasm of teeth. Captured in their hypnotic glow, Georgie felt fear coil around his heart as he heard the cries of all those poor souls trapped within the lights. Hundreds, if not thousands, of souls._

_“No….” The terrified Georgie whispered as he felt the lights begin to consume him, slowly becoming paralyzed in their cold radiance. He didn’t even register Pennywise let go of his throat, or that he was drifting further up in the air. “No.” He was beginning to float, becoming forever trapped in the lights, soon to be forgotten by the world, just like all those other victims.  
_

_“Georgie.” The lights seemingly called out to him, as more and more of him slipped away. He could feel himself fading away as the lights drained him of his identity. Everything he ever was, and ever will be, belonged to those lights. His name, his memories, his life, his very existence.... the lights would pillage him of all those things, until he was just a cold, unrecognizable husk of a human being.  
_

_“No!”_

_“Geor_gie!”

_“NO!”_

“Georgie!”

_“NO!!!”_

……

“Georgie wake up!” Bill shouted, desperately trying to wake his brother. “Wake up!”

After much resisting, Bill had managed to wake his brother up, but his mind was still trapped in the nightmare. “Georgie, look at me.” Bill soothed, trying to help Georgie snap out of the terrible place he was in. “Lu-lu-look at me. I’m right here. It’s nu-not real. I’m right he-here.” his words slowly bringing Georgie back to reality.

“Billy?” The frightened Georgie asked in a low whisper. Careful to avoid his injured arm, Bill wrapped his arms around his brother and brought him into a tight embrace, resting his head against his chest.

“It’s okay. I’m ru-ru-right here.” He whispered, gently rubbing his brother’s back as he breathed against his chest.

Though his parents had protested, Bill was steadfast in his declaration that, until Georgie was released, he would spend the night at the hospital with him. Reluctantly, the Denbroughs agreed, if only because Georgie had begged them to let Bill stay. It was a good thing they had. Every night since he was rescued, Georgie had been having horrible nightmares. And every time, Bill had woken up to the sound of his brother tossing in his bed, murmuring the word “No” over and over again.

“It felt so real.” Georgie moaned, staring vacantly at the bedsheets.

“Do you wu-wu-wanna talk about it?” Bill asked hopefully, although he already knew what the answer would be.

“No.”

…...

“….And he still won’t talk about it?” Bill nodded no, clearly upset about the whole thing.

“That’s rough.” Stan said, unsure about what to say.

“I nu-know.” Bill sighed. “What do I do?”

Stan pondered on what to say. He never thought of himself as the one to give emotional support. If anything, he was the one asking for support. “Well,” he started, an idea popping into his head. “Have you had any nightmares recently?”

“Sometimes.”

“Maybe,” Stan suggested, “if you talk about yours, then he’ll talk about his.”

“You tu-think that’ll wu-work?” Stan gave a shrug.

“Only thing I can think off.”

……

It was almost eight o’clock. Time for Georgie to go to bed. Naturally, the rambunctious seven-year old was adamant about staying awake.

“Because of the nightmares?” Bill asked, earning a shy nod in response. “You su-sure you don’t wanna tu-talk about it?”

“I said I don’t wanna talk about it Bill.” Georgie said defensively, averting his gaze from his brother.

_Now or never,_ Bill thought.

“I’ve had nightmares too.” He admitted, causing Georgie to look back at him. “In the cistern, wu-when IT was pu-pretending to be you. I took Mike’s bu-bolt gun and, I thought I killed IT. But it wu-wasn’t IT. It wu-was really you.” Bill revealed, tearing up towards the end.

_Having to pull that trigger was the most terrified Bill had been in a long time. When not!Georgie had fell down, and the Losers all stared in shock at the scene before them, Bill had been so afraid of what would come next. Part of him had actually been put at ease when IT shed its disguise; that he hadn’t actually murdered the brother he had spent months searching for, who had struggled to survive in the dark Derry sewers, who had cried and begged for Bill to take him home._

_“You shouldn’t have done that Billy!” IT laughed sadistically, revealing itself from behind the mountain of paraphernalia IT had collected over the years. “He just wanted to go home with you!”_

_Bill dropped the gun in shock, eyes overflowing with tears. “No.” he croaked, falling onto his knees. “No…” he moaned, soul shattered at the realization at what he had done._

_Hearing the sound of the bolt gun reloading, Bill turned to see Georgie’s corpse point the weapon between his eyes. “You did this to me.” The undead Georgie growled, face stained from the blood that flowed from the wound on his forehead. “You deserve to die.”_

_“I’m su-su-su-sorry.” Bill cried, completely defeated and embracing death. It was his punishment for being a horrible brother._

“I wake up…..just before you pull the trigger.”

“Billy….” A mortified Georgie whispered. “I had no idea.”

“Ah-ah-after you went mu-missing,” Bill said, wiping his face clean of tears, “I su-spent eh-everyday af-fu-fu-fraid that you’d nu-never come back ho-ho-home.”

He thought back to that one day when he had gone to the sewer drain where the old woman at the corner of Jackson and Witcham had said he disappeared. Bill had asked IT why, out of all the children in Derry, IT had gone after Georgie. He could still remember all the pain and sorrow he released as he pounded against the side of the road shouting “Why him?!” over and over, and IT cruelly whispering back “Because you weren’t there.”

“I was in the sewers.” Georgie began, Bill hanging onto every word. “Pennywise was chasing me. I fell, and you were there.” Tears began to well up in his eyes, but Georgie continued regardless. “You said *sniff*, you said you never wanted a brother, and you hated me. You left me and Pennywise got me!” No longer able to hold the tears back, Georgie broke down into a cacophony of sobs.

Bill, now crying himself, wrapped his arms around his brother’s shoulders and embraced the boy in the tightest, fiercest hug he had ever given him. “Georgie, I have loved you since the fu-first time I held you. I wu-was so afraid when mom and dad said they were ha-having another baby. I had no idea how to be a bu-big brother, but when you were born, and you smiled at me for the first time, I nu-knew that all I had to do was be there for you.”

“Really?” Georgie squeaked, melting into the warmth of his brother’s embrace.

“Really.” Leaning down, Bill gently placed a kiss on his brother’s forehead, Georgie looking up with eyes that were puffy from crying. “The only ru-reason pu-pu-Pennywise got you was because I wu-wasn’t there. I broke my pu-promise. I’m a hu-horrible brother.”

“No you’re not.” Georgie whispered softly. “You’re not bad because of one bad day. You’re a great big brother, and I wouldn’t give you up for a million big brothers.”

Sighing heavily, Bill rested his head in the cook of Georgie’s neck. No matter the situation, Georgie had always managed to light up the bleakest of times. Tilting his head ever so slightly, Bill gently placed a kiss on his brother’s forehead. “I swear I’ll ah-always be there for you. No mu-matter what happens, you’ll always have me.” He whispered with as much love he could muster.

“I know you will.” Georgie murmured, drowsiness beginning to set in. “I love you Billy.”

“I love you too Georgie.”

The two laid peacefully in Georgie’s hospital bed, the younger brother clinging to the elder like a bear cub to its mother, who in turn wrapped his arms protectively around the small child. Basking in each other’s comfort, the brothers remained silent, with no words necessary to convey how much they meant to each other. Bill’s head rested just above his brother’s, who in turn rested his against Bill’s chest. Slowly, they both fell asleep; Georgie to the sound of his brother’s heartbeat, and Bill to the soft sounds of Georgie’s breathing.

That night, Georgie dreamt not of clowns, or dark sewer tunnels, or a cruel imitation of his brother. Instead he dreamt of soaring throughout the cosmic realm of space on the S.S. Georgie, and all the adventures he, first mate Bill and the rest of their hearty crew had as they sailed across the stars. Hunts for pirate treasure and untold riches; swashbuckling escapades with rival forces; discovering exotic lands and new cultures; and, strangely enough, escaping from a giant spider-like creature on the back of a giant turtle…

Bill, meanwhile, relieved memories of years passed in his slumber. The day his parents had brought Georgie home from the hospital; the joy he felt at finally meeting his little brother; baby Georgie’s innocent little eyes gazing up at his big brother with joy and wonder; the warmth he felt as he cradled his little brother in his arms for the first time; the sensations he felt as Georgie grabbed his finger in his little hand; his adorable laughter filling the room……

Neither brother had nightmares for a long time after that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna be honest. If it wasn't for all the brotherly fluff towards the end, I would have just stopped this one and moved onto something less depressing.
> 
> So it came to my attention that so far, Bill and Georgie have exchanged "I love you" in each one-shot so far. Whereas most people would be concerned about repetitiveness, I say "Let's not kid ourselves. If Georgie did live, Bill wouldn't let a day go by without telling his brother he loved him."
> 
> Also, that scene from Chapter Two I mentioned, the one with young!Bill at the storm drain where Georgie disappeared. That broke me. That, that got me crying. I mean I cried when Stan and Eddie died yes, but we all knew that was coming. (And honestly, "The Losers Remembering After Killing That SOAB Clown" was higher on my list of things I wanted in Chapter Two compared to "Stan Doesn't Take A Bath" and "Eddie Not Getting His Arm Bitten Off And Dying." Although technically that last one was half-true in hindsight, but I'm still bitter about it.) Just take a moment to appreciate how talented the fandom's babies are.
> 
> Also just gonna ignore the whole "Bill lied about being sick" plot twist. I get what Andy Muschietti was going for, but, eh....thankfully we don't respect nonsensical decisions under my roof. If we did, we'd end up devolving into something ridiculous, like a telenovela....or Riverdale.
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you next time!


	4. Trick or Sweet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Halloween season in Derry. A perfect time for spooktacular activities, such as pumpkin carving, dressing up in costumes, getting lost in haunted houses, and some Losers' interaction......wait what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (belated) Halloween!

_October 30, 1989_

“…..And he should have a _biiiiiiig _smile. A really big one!” Georgie exclaimed, arms outstretched.

Tomorrow was Halloween, one of best days of the year. Children dressed in vivid costumes, filling the streets as they went door to door in search of candy. Jack-o’-lanterns with extravagant faces carved onto their fronts resting outside of people’s homes, warding off malevolent spirits. What wasn’t there to love?

“I du-don’t think I’ll be able to fu-fit everything you wu-want on him.” Bill chuckled, looking down at his sketchpad. They had spent over an hour at the pumpkin patch looking for the perfect gourd to craft into a jack-o’-lantern, Georgie being especially picky about what he wanted. They finally found the fabled pumpkin and lugged it home on Silver, only for Georgie to insist on designing how they would carved it. They ended up with a drawing of a pumpkin that had six eyes, two nostrils, a Glasgow grin, and a multitude of random shapes and swirls adorning the rest of the plant like tribal markings. It was definitely unique and eye catching, but in practice, would be an absolute pain to carve.

“I guess you can get rid of one or two eyes.” Georgie shrugged, laughing as he caught his brother’s eye roll.

“How about one pair of e-eyes, one nu-nose, and one really bu-big smile.” Bill bartered, partially erasing the design he had drawn before sketching up one of a more traditional jack-o’-lantern. “Doesn’t that lu-lu-look better?”

“Yeah, but now it kinda looks like every other pumpkin.” Georgie pouted. He’d wanted their jack-o-lantern to stand out from all the others tomorrow, but sometimes it was better to keep things simple and clean rather than big and messy.

“Okay. We ha-have our jack-o’-lantern. Now let’s se-set everything up before we ca-ca-carve.” Bill smiled, beginning to lay some old newspaper down on the table. Feeling bold, Georgie tried to lift the pumpkin, only to almost fall down before his brother caught him.

“Whoa! Ea-easy there champ.” Bill chuckled, snatching the pumpkin from his brother’s arms and setting it down on the table.

“Dang it.” Georgie grumbled, making sure his prosthetic hadn’t gotten loose. He had had it for almost a month, and had managed to become adjusted to it fairly quickly. Bill and the rest of the Losers had played a huge role in helping him adapt to it. As a bonus, it had given Georgie the perfect idea for his Halloween costume…..

“I’m home.” Their mother cried out, having gone to the grocery store to pick-up candy for tomorrow’s festivities.

“Hi mom.” The boys called in unison. “We’re just about to start on the jack-o’-lantern.” Georgie said as he went up to his mother.

“Oh that sounds fun.” Sharon smiled, pulling out a bag of peanut butter cups. “Remember last year when you two started throwing pumpkin guts at each other? Oh, you both were a mess when your father and I came home.”

The brothers frowned. “Mom that was tu-two years ago. We didn’t do a ja-jack-o’-lantern last year.”

“Oh, right.” Sharon backtracked, sounding upset at the realization. “Well, what about when you and your father were hanging lights outside Bill? And then, and then you…?” She laughed, ceasing when she saw the shared look of sadness on her sons’ faces. “We…we didn’t do anything for Halloween last year, did we?”

“No.” Bill answered, sounding as if he was about to cry. “We didn’t even lu-leave out a bowl of ca-candy for the trick or tu-tu-treaters.”

“Oh.” Sharon paused to clear her throat. “Well, I should leave you boys to it then. Just yell if you need anything.”

Eyes following his mother as she left the room, Georgie could feel the chill from the past year that still lingered in his house. Bill had told him about how empty and cold their home had become after his disappearance. At first, he had found it hard to believe that without him his family would fall apart, but now….

Instinctively sensing his brother’s sadness, Georgie grabbed Bill’s hand, entwining their fingers together. “Hey.” He said warmly. “I’m here. You found me, and I’m here now. I’m not going anywhere.”

Smiling, Bill tightened his grip around his brother’s small hand. “I know. Now come on. This pumpkin isn’t gonna ca-carve itself.” Grabbing the knife, the two brothers began cutting into the precious gourd, preparing it for All Hallows’ Eve.

…..

_October 31, 1989_

“Bill, Georgie! You’re friends are here!” The brothers heard their mother call from downstairs.

“Down in a second.” Georgie yelled back, adjusting his costume so his prosthetic could fit in without anything getting caught.

“Here. Lu-let me.” Helping Georgie fit his arm through the sleeve of his costume, Bill smiled, still unable to believe this is what his brother wanted to go as. “There. Ready to go?”

Georgie nodded yes. “Alright. Lu-lets go.”

The boys were two steps out Bill’s bedroom door before Georgie remembered something. “Wait!” Running back in, he grabbed both his trick-or-treat back, as well as a prop for his costume. “Can’t forget these.”

Coming down the stairs, the brothers caught their friends standing in the front doorway. With the sole exception of Stan, they were each dressed up. Ben was the Cowardly Lion, Richie was done up like Elvis, Mike stood stiff as a scarecrow, and Eddie cosplayed as Indiana Jones. Taking one look at Bill and Georgie’s costumes, the boys all smiled at their costumes.

“Forget the Tin Man Staniel.” Richie laughed. “You should have gone as Chewbacca to match up with these guys!”

Stan stepped forward, ignoring Richie’s jokes. “So, Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Not what any of us where expecting. You guys look good.”

“Thanks. I-It was Georgie’s idea.” Bill explained as the boy in question looked up and down Stan’s outfit.

“Why aren’t you dressed up Stan?” Georgie asked curiously.

“Dressing up in costumes isn’t really my thing Georgie.” Stan answered. “I’d rather go as myself.”

Georgie pouted. “But you’re ‘sposed to dress up for Halloween.”

Stan sighed. He could feel how much Georgie wanted them all to be in costume. “Okay. If anyone asks, I’m a kid who turns into a superhero when he says a magic word.” He shrugged, saying the first thing that popped in his head.

“Brrr.” Eddie shivered. “That was weird. I just got like a massive chill down my spine.”

“That’s probably your blood sugar crying out for candy!” Richie exclaimed, putting Eddie in a headlock and messing with his hair. “Mrs. D where’s our candy?!” he shouted, ignoring Eddie as the boy broke out of his grasp.

At that moment, Sharon walked back into the room carrying a bowl filled with various assorted candies. “Okay. One for each of you,” she muttered, handing a piece out to the rest of the Losers. Georgie, anxious to start earning candy, held out his bag when his mother stopped at him.

“Nice try mister. You and your brother will get whatever is left over.” Sharon denied, causing Georgie to frown. “You boys know the house number?” Her sons nodded yes. “Okay. Call if anything happens. Don’t eat too much candy before you come home, and remember-”

“Be careful of strangers.” The brothers said, finishing their mother’s train of thought. She was very nervous about letting the boys and their friends go out trick-or-treating unsupervised. Neither of her sons could blame her. If she had known the truth behind Georgie’s disappearance, she’d never let either of them go out alone again.

“Okay.” She sighed in defeat, placing a kiss of Georgie’s forehead. “Stay safe and have fun.”

“We will mom.” Bill reassured, grabbing his brother’s hand.

“Yeah don’t worry Mrs. D. We’ll bring them back with the same number of limbs they left with.” Richie chuckled, much to the chagrin of his friends.

“Beep beep Richie.” The others collectively said, Eddie beginning to push Richie out the door. “One day. That’s all I want…..” He muttered, the others following behind him.

“That’s our cue.” Bidding his mother goodbye, Georgie shut the door behind him. Stealing a glance at Steve (the name he had chosen for the jack-o’-lantern he and bill had carved), the young boy was greeted by the joyous sound of children scattering around the street. Excitement filled his very being as he walked down his front steps.

It was time for Trick or Treating.

….

“Is it me, or is Halloween more fun when you go as a group?” Mike asked, smiling.

“Trust me Mikey.” Richie answered, biting into a piece of chocolate. “You should have seen the haul we got when we were younger. We use to bring home pillowcases full a’ treats! Well….” he eyed Stan, “most of us.”

“Is it my fault I don’t like dressing up?” Stan sighed, tired of his friends insisting he had worn a real costume.

Bill laughed, remembering a Halloween from a few years prior. “Ru-remember when we were eight? Stan took his bu-bird watching binoculars….”

“And said he was going as a bird watcher.” Eddie finished, chuckling at the memory. “Not really a costume if you wear it every day Stan.”

Georgie watched the rest of them poke fun at Stan. Most of them. Ben, he noticed, was silently trailing a little ways behind them, staring at the ground below. It wasn’t right, he thought. Nobody should be sad when they’re Trick or Treating.

Slowing down as so he was walking at the same pace, Georgie looked up at the older boy. “Hey Ben, are you okay?” He asked empathetically. “You seem a little upset.”

Ben gave a bittersweet smile. “That obvious huh? I guess,” he sighed, “I guess I just wish Beverly could have made it.”

“Oh.” That was why he seemed so down in the dumps. Beverly couldn’t make it, something about helping her aunt with a haunted house she does every year. They all understood why she stayed, though Georgie could see the disappointed look in everyone’s eyes when she told them she wasn’t going to make it. Their first Halloween as members of the Losers Club just didn’t feel right without all eight of them. “I wish she was here too.”

“Hey.” Mike said aloud, causing the group to halt in their tracks. “What’s going on over there?” He asked, pointing at a group of people entering a large house.

“That’s the Johnson’s. They do a big haunted house every year.” Stan explained

“One of the best in town.” Eddie added uncomfortably. “Remember third grade? What happened when Richie’s parents took us in there?”

“Eds’ got so scared his mom had the biggest freak out I’ve ever seen!” Richie laughed so hard he nearly bust a gut. “Imagine if we told her you killed a demon clown before you were thirteen!”

“She would have had an anneurism.” Eddie muttered, almost happy at the thought, before snapping aggressively. “And don’t call me Eds!”

Richie ignored Eddie, instead beginning to walk towards the Johnson home. “Well come on, are we going in or what?”

“I du-don’t know Richie.” Bill objected, placing an arm around his brother. “It might be a little tu-too scary.”

“And some of us,” Stan pointed at himself, “want to forget the last horrific experience they’ve just had!”

“Yeah Rich.” Mike sided with Stan and Bill. “Maybe we’ve had enough scary stuff for this year.”

“Are you f*cking kidding me!?” Richie shouted exasperatedly. “We’ve gone into Neibolt, drudged through shitty sewer water, all to fight a f*cking demon clown that terrorized us, bit off Georgie’s arm, and gnawed on Stan’s face like it was a chew toy!”

“What did I just say?” Stan groaned, a mixture of annoyance and fury in his tone.

“We beat the shit out of that mother*cker! Sent it tumbling down a one-way trip to Hell! Are you telling me we can handle all that horrifying crap, but we can’t handle a fake haunted house on Halloween?! Bullshit! Now come on, are we men or are we mice?” Crude as his words were, Richie did make a valid point. After facing something as truly terrifying as Pennywise, how scary could one little haunted house be? Besides, being scared was what Halloween was all about. Where’s the fun in not getting a good jump scare or two.

Looking at each other, the Losers came to a unanimous decision. “We’re mice!” They declared, heading up behind Richie as he entered the Johnson’s haunted house.

…..

Stan had to admit…..this wasn’t nearly as bad as he thought. Like nowhere near as unsettling as he remembered it being as a child. Perhaps Richie was right. Everything about that clown was far more horrifying than any cheap Halloween store set piece could ever be. Especially –

“Is this anything like you guys remember?” Ben asked sheepishly. How the two of them ended up together, neither fully knew.

Stan didn’t mind Ben’s company. Heck, out of all the original four Losers, Stan was the most relieved when Ben had joined the group. As much as he loved the first members of their tight-night group, between Bill’s brother AND hero complexes, Eddie’s fake illnesses and medications, and Richie’s…..well, he was Richie, it often felt like he was the only reasonable one in the group. Even then, he and Ben didn’t really hang out just the two of them that often. Out of the new members who had joined, he often tended to gravitate towards Mike (Beverly was away in Portland most of the time, and as adorable and sweet Georgie was, Stan didn’t really have that much experience with eight year olds).

The costume-less boy shrugged. “I guess. We haven’t been here since what happened with Eddie’s mom.”

Ben silently nodded. He had only ever seen Sonia Kasprak a few times, but they weren’t pleasant memories. “Was she always like that?”

If she was, Stan could have believed it. “I wouldn’t know. I knew Richie before I knew Eddie or Bill, and his mother was always like that. Eddie said it got really bad after his dad died when he was five.”

“Oh…. I uh, I didn’t know that.” Ben muttered somberly, as if the mention of a lost father had hit close to home. “I lost my dad when I was little too.”

_That_, Stan wasn’t expecting. “Ben I’m sorry I didn’t mean to –” he tried to apologize, before Ben cut him off.

“No it’s fine, really it is.” Despite his attempts to mask how he felt, Stan could see how upset Ben truly was. “I was like four when it happened. I don’t really have that many memories of him anyway.” He sniffled, a stray tear threatening to fall.

“Well this sucks.” Grumbled Stan. “Now you’re more upset than you were before.” Ben looked at him in confusion. “Beverly? How you’re upset she didn’t come?”

Ben looked away awkwardly, something he did frequently when he was just ‘the new kid.’ “Georgie said something like that earlier. Am I that easy to figure out?”

“Less so than Richie though.” Stanley joked, causing Ben to laugh. “You really care about her. More than any of us.”

In that moment, Ben’s face morphed into an expression of longing and love. “She was the first person in town to ever show me any real kindness, my aunt and cousins don’t really like me. I’m grateful that I met all of you guys, but Beverly….she’s the one that means the most to me.”

“Someone’s in love.” Stan idly remarked, causing Ben to blush a faint shade of pink. Question is, why haven’t you asked her out yet?”

“Cause Beverly isn’t just any girl. She’s incredible, and….” Ben sounded sad, “besides, she likes Bill.”

“So?”

“_So_, they were each other’s first kiss, and they kissed again before she left for Portland.”

“And!” Stan countered, attempting to help his friend. “Who was it who wrote poetry for her? Who woke her up when she got caught in whatever IT did to her? Who is willing to let himself suffer in silence if it means she’s happy?”

Ben turned away again. “….me.” He mumbled shyly.

“Right. And what was the first thing she said to you when you woke her up?”

“…..she quoted my poem.”

“Exactly. She likes you that way too, but she’s just had so much on her plate that she can’t decide between you or Bill. Honestly Bill’s a great guy, but I’d think she’d be happier with you.”

“You really think so?” Ben asked hopefully.

“I know so. Now come on, let’s get out of this place. It’s honestly kinda boring.”

“Thanks Stan.” Ben smiled, feeling much better now. “For someone who’s always so quiet, you honestly helped a lot.”

“What can I say?” Stan replied nonchalantly. “I have experience with people pining in secret.”

Ben raised an eyebrow. “Really? Who?”

“Sorry.” Stan grinned cheekily. “That’s a secret.”

….

“Okay this shit is lamer than I thought it would be.” Richie moaned over the sound of stock sound effects playing from speakers lining the hallway. “Could have at least put in a severed arm or something.”

“Beep beep Richie.” Eddie said through gritted teeth, gesturing towards Georgie, who insisted on tagging along with them.

“It’s okay Eddie. Besides, if things get a little scary, I know you guys will protect me.” Georgie reassured, letting Eddie sigh in relief. The kid had always loved Richie, and Richie had always done his best to make Georgie laugh. One time when it was snowing and Bill had invited them over for hot cocoa, Georgie managed to make Richie fork over almost all his marshmallows with the old puppy dog eyes. A trick that he, ironically, had learned from Richie. Honestly, Eddie could only imagine what it would be like when they were all grown up and had kids, and if one or two of them picked up a thing from Uncle Trashmouth. Oh that would be fun, trying to keep them –

“BWAAAAH!”

“AH!” Eddie yelped as he stammered back. Someone, an older teen based off his height and voice, in a Michael Meyers costume had jumped out at him. Apparently they found his shriek of terror hysterical.

“You should have seen your face!” The teen laughed cruelly. Richie wasn’t having it.

“F*CK OFF YOU PIECE OF SHIT!” He yelled, kicking the fake Mike Meyers between the legs. It did the trick. Now the assailant was curled up on the floor, clutching his groin in pain. Furiously, Richie stormed off, dragging both Eddie and Georgie with him. “Who does that f*cker think he is huh!?”

“Okay Richie you’ve made your point!” Eddie exclaimed, ripping his hand out of Richie’s grip. “Why must you always do this!?”

“What? Jump in to protect my friends when someone tries to f*ck with them!” Richie shouted back. Sensing this was not his place, Georgie wisely scampered off to find his brother and Mike. “I’ve had just about goddamn enough of people going after you!”

“I know but would you please stop doing it every time! I don’t need people to stand up for me, I can fight my own battles! It was a miracle I got my mom to let me keep hanging out with you guys! I’ve spent so long letting her tell me I was this weak and fragile thing –“

“Well you’re not! Hell, you’re braver than the rest of us!”

Eddie stopped, words dying in his throat. “Do you really mean that?” He asked unsure.

“Every word of it. You’re like a lion trapped in a tiny, easy to carry package.” Richie confessed. “Look, I’m sorry for freaking out on you. After what happened with that dumb clown, I guess…I just don’t want something like what happened in Neibolt to happen again.”

Placing a hand on his friend’s shoulder, Eddie look him in the eye. “Rich, that clown is gone. Bowers is locked up, and the rest of his gang are dead. And until after we all graduate and leave this stupid town, the only major horror I see in our future is high school. We can handle it?”

“‘We’?” Richie parroted, confused.

“Yeah. The whole group. Well minus Georgie, he’s still got a few years until…..” Eddie began, only for Richie to start laughing. “Okay not what I expected.”

“No.” Richie snorted. “No, it’s-it’s just, hearing you say it just, hahaha! We’ve got a lot of tough shit ahead of us, and here I am freaking out about some random jackass in a bad costume.”

Richie eventually settled down, much to Eddie’s relief. “Look. Sorry for overreacting. Next time something like that happens, I’ll let you kick the guy in the balls. Just know, I’ll be ready to kick his ass right after.”

“And when you start bleeding, I’ll clean up your blood off the floor.”

The two boys laughed, the tension of their argument vanishing.

……

“Well that was du-disappointing.” Bill grumbled. He and Mike were currently standing outside the Johnson house, having been rather underwhelmed by all the fake scares inside. Perhaps an unintended side effect of fighting IT and conquering their deepest fears. Or maybe the Johnsons were having an off year and couldn’t do an impressive haunted house. Either was possible.

Mike was just as underwhelmed. “First haunted house, and it was a letdown.” The first time had had ever gone out on Halloween with a friend- or rather, group of friends- and it had been great up until this point. Oh well, sometimes you get your hopes up, and life lets you down. “That wasn’t scary at all.”

“I know. That bloody bu-bathroom had nothing on Beverly’s.” They had filled Mike in on it of course, so he could partially understand what Bill meant.

“And that guy in the werewolf costume? Could he have been any more obvious about his mask?” The two laughed at the mention of the failed werewolf that leapt at them from behind a couch. Everyone else nearby had been startled, but they weren’t even fazed.

“Sorry your first ha-haunted house was a bu-bust Mike.”

“Eh, could have been worse. Besides,” Mike gave Bill a pat on the back, “I’m just glad I finally got to have a Halloween with some friends. I never really had anyone on the farm to do stuff like this with.”

“No one?” Bill questioned, earning a nod for no. “No fu-farm hands to take you around a bu-block or two?” Negative. “Not even your gu-grandpa?”

“Nope. He said it was dangerous for….one of us, to go out on days like Halloween. Probably thought someone would throw eggs at me or something, just because of my skin color.”

“Well that’s nu-not going to happen. Your one of us Mike. Losers for lu-life.” Bill promised.

“Losers for life.” Mike repeated with a smile.

“Careful Stan, looks like Bill’s found your replacement.” Came Richie’s voice. Bill and Mike looked up to see the rest of their friends above them, looking as disappointed with their experience as they were.

“Beep beep Richie.” Stan bemoaned haphazardly. “I’d say this was a waste of time.”

“Yeah.” Even Georgie found it to be unimpressive. “Can we get back to trick or treating now?”

The older boys laughed. “You hu-heard him.”

“Alright!” Richie jumped off of the steps, running off like a race horse out of the gate. “Come on slowpokes! Night’s still young!”

Laughing, his friends followed after him, ready to continue the hunt for Halloween candy. After all, it was the best part of the holiday.

….

Beverly collapsed on her bed, exhausted. Her aunt put a lot more effort into this haunted house thing than she’d realized. Big turnout, lot of kids. It was nice though, better than most of her previous Halloweens. Still, she missed the Losers. That group of dumbass boys had become her first real family, and it wasn’t right to spend one of the most fun days of the year without them. Maybe she could convince her aunt to let her go next year?

“Marsh!” Someone called as they opened her door. “You got a phone call. It’s one of your boys!”

Beverly grinned until her white teeth shone. Finally, something she wanted to hear today besides screaming children (as well as a few older kids and parents).

“I think it’s the one whose name starts with a ‘B’. ‘Blake?’ No, ‘Brandon!’” They said, trying to remember the names of Bev’s friend group.

“I got it.” Beverly chuckled as she took the phone. “Thanks Kay.”

“Keep it short,” Kay warned, “or else I’m taking you portion of all the left over candy your aunt bought!”

“I will! Now go!” Shooing the girl away, Beverly put the phone up to her ear. “Hello? Ben! Hey, how was everything? Really? The Johnsons haunted house? That’s gotta be fate or some shit…. Richie did what!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter had a lot going on. Really it was like two or three in one. But go big or go home right?
> 
> This one was a little less Georgie-centric this time around, but this story is about the eight of them as a group, so really it should have been expected. Sorry if some interactions were lacking, but a cast of eight in every chapter is hard to handle so....yeah. 
> 
> About the costumes, apart from Georgie and Bill's costumes, I just came up with the first thing I could think of for the rest of them. Except for Stan, he doesn't strike me as the type costume type of person. Although that did let me sneak in a Captain Marvel/Shazam reference. I had to do it, Jack's in both!
> 
> Kudos and comments are appreciated. See you next time!


	5. Anniversary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> October 15th, 1989
> 
> All the Denbrough brothers want is a nice, uneventful day. The one they should have had a year ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Nother one just about Bill and Georgie. I can't helping doing ones like these, they are just too precious together.

Bill stirred, the pitter-patter of rain awakening from his dreamless sleep. A big storm had hit late into the night. If the droplets hitting against his window were any indication, it was still coming down hard. He hated rainy days, they reminded him of _that_ day, when IT got Georgie.

_Georgie_, Bill thought as he realized he was alone in his room. Georgie had asked to spend the night with him, afraid to sleep by himself. Considering what happened the last time he was alone during a rain storm, and how much he loved sleeping over in his big brother’s room, Bill couldn’t help but say yes. Peering over the side, Bill froze when he saw the numbers displayed on his alarm clock.

10: 15: 1989

Today was _that_ day.

Today marked the one year anniversary of Georgie’s disappearance.

Overcome with dread and the irrational fear that, somehow, something bad had happened, Bill jumped out of bed and sprinted out the door. He dashed across the hall over to his brother’s room, hoping that Georgie went back to his room at some point before he woke up. Throwing open the door, he was greeted by a frightened gasp and the sound of something hitting the floor. There Georgie was, standing in the center of the room. He wasn’t wearing his prosthetic, which was instead resting on his table. Next to it were a few jars of skin cream the doctors prescribed, sans the one he dropped when Bill came rushing into his room.

Awkwardly, Bill stepped through the doorway. “Sorry for su-scaring you.” He apologized, picking up the jar and holding it up to Georgie. “You weren’t in my ru-room.”

“You were still sleeping. I didn’t wanna wake you up.” Georgie replied gently. He scooped up a dab of the cream with two fingers before beginning to gently rub it against his stump. Usually he asked Bill or one of their parents to help him, afraid of accidently pressing too hard on his skin and tearing at the old wound.

“That’s a first.” Bill joked. Georgie retaliated to his brother’s humor by playfully shoving him in the chest. “Georgie!” Bill chuckled, trying to wipe of the cream his brother had smeared onto shirt. “Okay, nu-no more Richie for tu-two weeks. He’s starting to seem like a bu-bad influence!” The younger brother laughed, affectionately giving the elder a brief hug. Looking up, Georgie saw Bill’s face contort with sadness. “For a mu-minute I thought…..” He couldn’t finish the sentence, instead opting to ask, “You know wu-what today is, ru-right?”

Georgie nodded. His family had been rather apprehensive about the anniversary of his disappearance. Their mother especially, she had made it undeniably clear that A) Georgie was not allowed to go outside today, and B) Someone had to watch him at all times. Overprotective, just a smidge, but it wasn’t the most unreasonable thing to do, everything considered. Especially if she knew the truth behind Georgie’s disappearance, she would have never allowed him out of the house. “I-”

** _ BOOM! _ **

A massive thunderclap had come out of nowhere, startling the brothers. “Ahh!” Georgie shrieked, throwing himself into Bill’s arms.

Bill found himself laughing, amused at how quick Georgie was to go to him for safety. “It’s ju-just thunder. It wu-won’t hurt you.”

“It still loud though.” Georgie complained, voice muffled against his brother’s chest. “I don’t like it.”

“Yeah, me neither.”

……

“Boys, you’re au-aunt called last night.” Bill read off the note he and Georgie had discovered on their kitchen table. “Cousin Sarah’s wu-water broke but her car wu-wouldn’t start, so she ca-called us to take them to the ho-hospital. There’s some lu-leftover pancakes in the fu-fu-fridge for bu-breakfast. We’ll be bu-back before nu-noon. Love you guys, mom and dad. P.S. Bill don’t lu-let Georgie out of the house.”

“I guess we’ve got the whole house to ourselves, huh Billy.” Georgie said idly as he took out a plate of pancakes for breakfast. “For a while at least.”

“Guess so.” Bill shrugged. Things between him and his parents had been….awkward, ever since Georgie’s return. They were no longer ignoring him, and he could finally speak to them without the risk of breaking down, but…… It was like they were trying to act as if Georgie hadn’t gone missing for nearly an entire year, and that the family dynamic was the same as always. Maybe it was their way of dealing with the joy of their dead son turning out to be alive, their attempt at a return to normalcy, a combination of the two or something else entirely. Either way, the two of them leaving with only a note to explain their absence didn’t affect him that much.

The two brothers sat down, eating breakfast together as the rain began to let up. Every now and then, Georgie would find himself staring at the cellar door. As much as he tried to avert his gaze, the door seemed to call to him like a mythical siren. Every time he looked at it his mind wandered back to _that_ day. How he went down into the darkened cellar even though the lights refused to go on. How his mother eerily stopped playing the piano just before he went down. How those two pinpricks of light shined in the darkness, seemingly gazing at him, and how relieved he was to learn it was just a pair of lightbulbs.

Was it really though? Or was IT silently watching Georgie the whole time? Like a predator waiting for the right moment to strike. Had IT been keeping tabs on Georgie before their encounter? IT knew his name without him ever having to introduce himself after all. Did IT keep tabs on everyone in Derry? IT knew what all his new friends were afraid of, no matter how deep and guarded they were. Did IT plan every one or its kills before they happened? How long did IT wait? Days, weeks?

“Georgie.” Bill spoke, snapping his brother out of his daze. “Yu-you got something your hand.” Naively trusting his brother, Georgie held up his hand, only for Bill to push it into his face. “HAHAHAHAHA!” Bill laughed vibrantly. A smug grin spreading across his face, Georgie took the syrup bottle and squirted it at his brother’s face. “HEY!”

“You started it!” Georgie’s joy was short lived however, as Bill pulled him into a headlock and gave him a noogie. “NO! Billy! Stop it!” He yelled through the giggles, struggling to free himself from his brother’s grasp. Bill ignored him, instead favoring to continue playfully mess with his little brother.

When he finally broke free of his brother’s hold, Georgie had forgotten why he was so afraid to look at the cellar door.

…..

Thirty minutes later, the two brothers were hovering above the edge of their filled bathtub. Bill, per Georgie’s request, had made a new paper boat. Just like her predecessor, the _S.S. Denbrough_ had been crafted with brotherly love and tenderness, coated with a fresh layer of wax, and had her name branded on the side with black marker. The only new addition – the stick figures of him and Georgie drawn against the inside. Gently placing the boat into the water, Georgie leaned against his brother’s shoulder as it began skidding across the water’s surface. The boys watched as their boat less than gracefully bumped against the side of the tub and began spiraling all over. Neither minded the paper craft’s awkwardness though. Instead they just sat on the matt that lay in front of the tub, watching the _S.S._ _Denbrough_’s maiden voyage in silence.

“Wu-we shoulda did this last ta-time.” Georgie murmured in agreement as Bill pulled him closer. By now it had stopped raining, though the sun was still hidden behind a thick layer of clouds. The cycle of life continued over the Derry townsfolk’s heads, who were blissfully unaware of the darkness that had once plagued their town for decades. IT was gone, that’s what Bill and the others had said.

Yet, there was no fear when the image of the predatory clown came to mind. Maybe it was because Georgie knew deep down that IT was really gone for good. That the aura of fear and death that hovered over Derry was truly dispelled. The monster who took his arm, held him hostage for almost a year, tried to kill his brother and their friends, was dead. Feeling bold, Georgie stood up.

“Wait here.” He told Bill before walking over to the sink. Peering over to gaze down the drain, Georgie mustered up as much courage as he could. “I know you’re not listening. I know you’re gone, forever. But if you’re not, don’t come back. ‘Cause if you do, we’re gonna kick your butt! Bill, Richie, Stan, Eddie, Mike, Ben, Beverly….. and me! So don’t try and come back, ‘cause we’re not afraid of you!”

Bill laughed. It was sort of endearing and inspiring of his brother to stand up to a bully, even if that bully was dead and couldn’t hear him. “That wu-was very bu-brave of you Georgie.” He said, impressed. One year ago he was overcome with grief and heartache, wondering what had happened to his precious little brother. Now he was just grateful that his brother was home, and that they had a great group of friends they wouldn’t give up for anything.

Outside, the sun’s rays began to pierce through the cloud layer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next one will either be A) A Christmas one, or B) One focused on Beverly in Portland. I'm leaning more towards the latter, as the former may end up being longer than most.
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you next time!


	6. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Christmas in Derry, and the Losers all gather together for the season. There, someone is given a special gift.....

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm dead. I died from cuteness partway into writing this and am bringing you the finished product from beyond the grave.

_December 25th, 1989_

_‘Twas the morning of Christmas Day. And all through the Denbrough house, not a creature was stirring…._

_Except Georgie, who burst into his brother’s room in a frenzy of chaotic energy._

“BILLY WAKE UP!” Georgie screamed as he catapulted onto Bill’s bed, barely able to contain his excitement.

“I’m up! I’m up!” Bill groaned, lazily getting out of bed. “Do you ha-have to wake me up lu-like this?”

“Ah huh!” Georgie answered earnestly, missing his brother’s point. “Come on! It’s Christmas!” Springing off the covers, he ran towards their parent’s bedroom. “Mom! Dad! It’s Christmas!”

Bill smiled. His brother was eight years old, of course he’d be this excited on Christmas. His amusement grew as Georgie peered his head back into the room. “Come on Bill! We’re gonna open up presents!” Slipping out of bed, Bill followed his brother down the stairs, where they were greeted by the sight of wrapped presents, resting on the floor around a decorated tree.

Twenty minutes later, the living room floor was a mess. In his rush to open his presents, Georgie had practically ripped into the wrapping paper with his teeth. He’d found a few new Lego sets, one or two new coloring books, and a couple small trinkets here and there. Bill, comparatively, had received fewer gifts, but he didn’t seem to mind. Besides, there were more gifts to exchange later, when they would meet with the rest of the Losers at Mike’s place (the frigid Maine weather had made spending extended periods of time in the Club House less than ideal.) They were all going to be there, including Beverly, who begged her Aunt to come and make up for missing Halloween and Thanksgiving. It was going be fun.

“I’m going to help your mother get started on dinner.” Their father said, putting down his new mug. “If you boys want to go to that thing at your friend’s house, you have to clean up first.” Georgie pouted, something their father noticed. “Don’t give me that look. Maybe next time think about how many presents you open up at once.” He jokingly scolded, ruffling the boy’s hair before heading into the kitchen.

“Dang it.” Georgie murmured. “Why’d I have to open all my presents now?”

“You were ex-excited.” Bill answered. “I du-did the same thing when I wu-was your age. Hu-had to clean it up th-then too.”

“What’s your favorite present so far Billy?” Georgie asked, curious.

His brother smiled mischievously. “I’ll lu-lu-let you know later.”

……

“FIVE GOLD RINGS!” Richie belted, kicking the door open and startling everyone inside.

“It’s ‘Five _Golden _Rings’ dumbass!” Eddie corrected furiously. Beverly, who walked in behind Richie, chuckled. Not even five seconds in and these two were already at it. “Stan back me up on this!”

“What are you asking Stanthony for?” Richie objected. “He’s the Jewish one, he doesn’t know anything about Christmas!”

“Richie.” Stan calmly interjected. “You’re a quarter Jewish.”

“Oh really?” Bev asked slyly. “Since when?”

“His grandpa on his mom’s side is.” Eddie explained rapidly. “She wasn’t raised Jewish so neither was Richie. And it is ‘_Golden _Rings!’ You can clearly hear the guy say ‘golden’…..”

While Richie and Eddie quickly got into a heated discussion, Ben and Mike came entered the room, hauling in a large sack of presents. “Merry Christmas to all!” Mike exclaimed full of Christmas cheer.

“Ahem.”

“And Happy Hanukah.” He added at Stan’s behest. “Can’t forget that.”

Ben, feeling confident, went straight to Beverly. “Hey. How was the drive from Portland?”

“Dull.” Bev chuckled. “Although I swear just before we left, the neighborhood stray looked at me exactly like how Stan looks at all of us.”

“He is kinda catty.” Ben admitted in a hushed tone, causing Bev to hold back an escaping giggle.

A few minutes later, Bill and Georgie arrived. They were greeted with a massive group hug, the first official Losers Christmas had officially begun. Not even five seconds after breaking the hug, Richie exclaimed “Time for presents!”

“Me first!” Georgie jumped up the second Richie finished.

“I second that!” Eddie added, mostly to further irritate Richie.

“I can’t say no to the cute ones in the group.” Richie grumbled. “Fine, but I’m up next.”

Pulling Mike to the side, Bill asked, “Nothing happened ru-right? His pu-present’s okay?”

“Don’t worry Bill, I took care of it.” Mike answered with just the faintest hint of something Bill couldn’t pin down. “He’s in the next room.” All of a sudden, Georgie grabbed Bill by the arm and attempted to pull him to the center of the room.

“Come on, I’m gonna open my presents!” He laughed gleefully, letting go of his big brother.

“Abu-bout that, I actually ha-have one more present I couldn’t gu-give you at ho-home.” Hiding a grin, Bill walked into the other room. “Close your eyes.” He instructed from the other side of the doorway. Georgie rose an eyebrow. What was his big brother playing at? Shutting his eyes tight, he could hear the other Losers whispering around him as Bill stepped back into the room. “Georgie, we all love hanging out with you. But the thing is, you’re still yu-younger than the rest of us, so you ca-can’t do some things we can. So, I talked to mu-mom and dad…..” Georgie tilted his head to the side. What was it is brother had gotten him? “And they said I could get you this to. Merry Christmas Georgie.”

The suspense was killing him. Unable to keep his eyes shut any longer, Georgie opened them, and his expression morphed from shock to pure joy and excitement in rapid succession. Cradled in Bill’s arms, was a puppy. A Labrador, with pale yellow fur and a black button nose. If Georgie had asked the other Losers how he looked, they would have said he was absolutely star struck.

“Can I hold him?” He asked nervously, his brother gently passing the dog over to him. “Is it a him?” Bill nodded yes, stepping back to watch his brother get acquainted with his new pet. The puppy stared intently at him, seemingly accepting of his owner. “Hello buddy.” Georgie whispered gently, bringing the dog closer to his face. “Hi.” The puppy blinked then slowly licked the boy’s nose. Georgie’s eyes sparkled at the sign of affection. “He’s perfect.” He turned to face Bill. “Thanks Billy. I love him.”

Someone began to sniffle. “Are you crying?” Ben asked whoever it was.

“NO!” Richie objected. “Some dust got into my eye and shit.” He lied, wiping a stray tear. Couldn’t a guy cry at the sight of a child getting their first pet without being someone else batting an eye?

“Wimp.” Beverly laughed. “He’s adorable Georgie.”

“You wanna hold him?” Georgie asked, holding his new friend out.

“I’d love to.” Bev responded cheerfully.

“I don’t.” Eddie said firmly in opposition. “That thing could have fleas! Or ticks! And did he get all his shots? You better have made sure he got all his shots Bill!” He ranted as the puppy began licking Bev’s cheek, much to her apparent delight.

“Relax.” Bill reassured as the remaining Losers, sans Mike, gathered around the puppy. They wanted to meet him as well. “He’s pu-perfectly healthy.”

“Come on Eds. Look at the widdle pupper!” Richie whined, coddling the puppy as it licked his glasses.

“That thing uses its tongue as toilet paper, it’s disgusting!”

“Still cleaner than your mom’s vagina.”

“For f*ck’s sake! It’s Christmas! Can you go five minutes without doing a shitty mom joke?!”

“OKAY!” Mike interrupted. “Let’s keep this appropriate for the little ones.” He said politely, gesturing to both Georgie and the dog.

“Fine….”

With the arguing quelled, Ben turned to Georgie. “So what are you going to name him?”

Georgie shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ll think about it.”

“Take your time.” Bev grunted, handing the puppy back to Georgie. “We’ll help you if you need any suggestions. Now come on, you’ve got more presents to open.”

….

They all huddled around a little Christmas tree near the corner of Mike’s living room. His grandfather and a couple farmhands were busy running some Christmas deliveries and wouldn’t be back until later, so they had the whole place to themselves. Of course, Leroy Hanlon had made it clear they couldn’t make a mess or else it would be no parties at the Hanlon’s for life. Mike wasn’t sure if he was serious, but he convinced his friends to keep things controlled.

As they opened presents, Georgie came tried coming up with names for his new puppy, which sat in his lap the whole way through. Sometimes the others would come up with possible names, only to be vetoed by the boy’s fickleness. “Muffin?”

“More of a cat name.” Stan said, unwrapping a blue jay shaped coaster courtesy of Richie. He wasn’t all that surprised, Richie tended to buy anything bird related and give it to him as a present.

“Lucky.” Eddie offered. Georgie didn’t take, saying it didn’t feel perfect. The same was said about Walt, Geo, Charlie, Max, Pluto, Rex, and several other names. The only one Georgie seemed to like was the one that Ben had suggested, ‘Butterscotch,’ and even then he shot it down.

“I like it, but it’s probably taken already.” He explained why he said no.

By noon, the puppy was still nameless. Everyone had come up with names, but Georgie didn’t approve. Well, saying _everyone_ wasn’t entirely true. Mike, oddly enough, hadn’t said anything. He seemed like he didn’t want anything to do with the puppy. He refused to hold it, handed him off to someone else when he got close. All around, he seemed to avoid the little thing like the plague.

“He su-seemed off when I asked if he could take ca-care of him until today.” That’s what Bill said when Georgie asked him why Mike didn’t like the puppy. It bothered the kid a lot. Mike was one of the nicest people Georgie had ever met, the idea of him hating something as small and innocent as a dog didn’t make sense. So, being only eight years old, he went to get answers directly.

“Do you not like dogs?” He asked him privately.

Mike looked at Georgie in shock. “What? No, I love dogs.”

“Then why don’t you like the puppy?”

Mike sighed. He couldn’t lie about this. As much as it hurt to think about, his friends deserved to know. “When I was younger, I had a dog myself. His name was Mr. Chips. Before I met any of you guys, he was my only real friend. But Bowers…” He paused, fighting back the oncoming tears. “He took him away from me.” _You mean he poisoned him_! Mike yelled at himself. Bowers had force fed Mr. Chips something toxic that made him sick and they just couldn’t afford to save him. But he couldn’t tell Georgie that. Sweet, innocent Georgie, who had already seen the darker side of the world. Maybe he would tell him the truth one day, but not right now. Especially not today.

“I’m sorry.” Georgie said somberly. “Did you at least get to say goodbye?”

“Yeah.” He replied through the sadness. “I just, I guess I never really let go. And seeing you with your dog, it’s just kind bringing back the memories.”

This wasn’t right. That’s what Georgie thought. He had known Bower’s and his friends were bad people, the stories his brother had told him made that clear. But he never entertained the idea of hurting animals. Maybe he should have, but his young mind couldn’t understand it. There had to be some way to make this right. Georgie thought about it for a moment, when the perfect idea popped into his head. He smiled. Yes this was it. He ran back to the others, Mike following after him. Eyes darting around the room, he found the dog laying on the couch, beside a chew toy given by Ben. Picking up the pooch with his arms, Georgie faced the others. “I know what his name is!”

“You do?” Asked Stan. “What is it?”

Flashing a brief smile at Mike, he announced, “Everyone, meet Chip. Chip Denbrough.”

A joyful chorus broke out. It was unanimous. Georgie had picked the perfect name. But while the others liked the name, there was only one person whose reaction mattered the most. “What do you think Mike?”

Eyes slightly watering, Mike smiled shined with happiness. “I think it’s really nice Georgie.”

……

“But I hu-heard him exclaim, ere he du-drove out of sight, Happy Christmas to all, and to all a gu-good night.” Bill finished reading.

“Why does he say ‘Happy Chirstmas’ ‘stead of ‘Merry Christmas?” Georgie asked drowsily, currently laying in his bed, Chip resting beside him.

“I du-don’t know. Now come on, time to sleep.”

“M’kay.” Georgie mumbled. “Hey, you never told me what your favorite present was.”

Bill smiled. “Seeing you happy.” Placing a kiss on his brother’s forehead, he whispered, “Goodnight Georgie. Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas Bill… Merry Christmas Chip.” As he drifted off to sleep, Georgie swore he head Chip whine back "Merry Christmas Georgie."

_Merry Christmas to all, and t all a good night._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I was working on another Chapter (the Beverly focused one I mentioned last time), I took a quick visit to Instagram and, for those of you who don't know, Jackson got a dog for Christmas! She a Teacup Maltipoo named Goldie and she's absolutely adorable. Here's pictures and a video:
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B5_6NieFLQ9/
> 
> https://www.instagram.com/p/B6AW6JPFJtN/
> 
> And this is my reaction when I first saw 'em:
> 
> https://imgflip.com/gif/36tmor
> 
> I always planned on giving Georgie a dog, and this was the universe telling me to work on this chapter instead of the other one. Like I said, I listen to the universe! Naming however, was tricky as I hadn't come up with any possible names before hand. Then I found not 1, but 2 separate sets of fanart where the Losers were Pokemon trainers and both of them had Mike with a dog-like Pokemon. I immediately went "Oh My God! That is Mr. Chips from the novel!" and the rest was history. On an unrelated note, one of the artists gave Bill a Phantump, which for you non-Pokemon fans, is a Ghost Pokemon said to be the spirits of children who got lost in the forest and died. Give the character whose younger sibling was brutally dismembered and eaten alive by evil incarnate, and whose role is pretty defined by how much grief they carry, the spirit of a dead child possessing a tree stump as a Pokemon! That's not messed up at all!
> 
> Happy whatever Holiday it is you celebrate! Since I am probably not gonna update any time soon, have a Happy New Year! And of course, a Happy 17th Birthday to Finn Wolfhard. 
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you next time in a new decade!


	7. Girl Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The one in which Beverly, now in Portland away from the Losers, makes a new friend or two.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! I hope everyone had a happy New Year, Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever you celebrate! Fun story, I got a copy of IT-edition Monopoly which, I kid you not, is actually suggested for ages seventeen and up. Like, I get why it's there, it's a board game based on an R-rated horror movie about a child serial killer clown, but it's still freaking MONOPOLY! It's not like there were any quotes on the game pieces or anything! I just find the whole thing unintentionally hilarious.
> 
> Now I should probably warn you guys, it gets a little intense during the climax of this chapter. Not much, but still felt like I should still give you guys a heads up. Enjoy!

_September 23rd, 1989_

Beverly didn’t particularly care for English class. Whether it was because of a general lack of interest in the subject or because Mrs. Johnson only spoke with a dull, monotonous voice that put people to sleep, it didn’t matter to her. Either way she would have spent the enter class gazing out the window, like she was now.

She missed Derry. Or, more accurately, she missed her friends. Everything else connected to that hell hole could burn for all she cared. Bullies who lived to make your day as miserable as possible; abusive parents manipulating you at every turn; demon clowns intent on traumatizing and eating you alive…..if it wasn’t for her friends, Beverly would have been truly alone. Even with the daily conversations over the phone and the occasional visit, it was hard being away from them.

She missed the things that only her boys could do. Eddie’s constant ramblings about how many infections they could contract from the most mundane of things. Richie’s attempts to make them laugh with those dumb jokes. All of Stan’s constant eye rolls at whatever shit they were doing. How Mike would give them all a shoulder to cry on when the world seemed to be against them. That adorable gleam in Georgie’s eyes, a Loser like the rest of them despite the age gap. The warm feeling she got when she was with Bill or Ben, the first boys to look at her and see something other than a slut. She missed how they all treated her as just Beverly, not daddy’s little girl.

She wished her friends could be here with her now.

“Miss Marsh? Miss Marsh!?” Mrs. Johnson called, bringing her back to reality. “Can you please answer the question?”

_Shit_. Of all the times to have been called on. “Right, the question. Um, what was it again?” She asked sheepishly, most of her fellow students chuckling at her expense.

The teacher scoffed. “If you’d been paying attention in class Miss Marsh, then you wouldn’t have to make me repeat myself.” Mrs. Johnson scolded. “I asked if you could tell me the meaning of the line ‘it’s a sin to kill a Mockingbird?’”

Wracking her brain trying to come up with an answer, Beverly could feel the class’s collective attention aimed towards her. Why was killing a mockingbird a sin? Perhaps if she had actually read the book like she was supposed to for homework last night, she could have answered properly. Taking a chance, she planned on saying the first thing she could come up with, when someone else spoke up.

“The Mockingbird is a symbol of innocence and vulnerability. They say that it doesn’t do anything malicious, all it wants to do is sing its song. Killing one is a sin because it represents the death of innocence.”

“That is correct. Thank you for answering Miss McCall.” Mrs. Johnson said begrudgingly. “Though next time, please let your classmate attempt to answer the question first.”

RING! RING

“Class dismissed. Remember to read the next chapter tonight.” Mrs. Johnson said as students began leaving their seats. Anything else she was trying to say was drowned out by the sounds of students filling up the hallways. Sighing, Beverly slumped back into her seat. _Next time at least read something_, she told herself.

“You’re welcome by the way.” Looking up, Beverly saw someone walk over to her seat. She recognized the person’s voice, it was the one who had answered Johnson’s question for her. “Not that I blame you for zoning out. Johnson has that effect on everyone.”

“Clearly.” Beverly chuckled, wondering if anyone had actually died of boredom before. “God help us until June.”

The stranger laughed, pulling a chair next to Beverly. By now the room was deserted, even Mrs. Johnson had left. “Kay McCall.” She introduced herself. “But most people go with just Kay.”

“Beverly Marsh, but most people here go with ‘New Girl.’” Out of all the things she had been called, bad or good, ‘New Girl’ was one name Beverly had never expected to get. After dealing with Greta and her cronies calling her ‘Beaver-ly’ for so long, ‘New Girl’ was sort of refreshing. No one knew about the dumb rumors about her supposed promiscuous reputation, she was just the girl who moved into town at the start of the school year. The ‘New Kid on the Block,’ so to speak. Beverly couldn’t help but wonder if this was how it was like for Ben when he first came to Derry, before everything happened.

“Hey I’ve been there.” Kay said with empathy. “I was ‘New Girl’ two years ago when my family moved outta Chicago. Took me almost a whole year to shake it off. Before that, a friend of mine was ‘New Girl’ when she came to town like, five years back. So trust me when I say, I know what you’re going through.”

“It’s fine. Besides, I’ve never really been that popular in school anyway.” She had been _noticed_, but not for the right reasons.

“Really?” Kay asked, sounding genuinely confused. “Because I’ve seen you around and you seem like the type of person people _want_ to be friends with. I can tell, I’m freakishly good at reading people.”

“Oh yeah? Prove it.” Beverly challenged. “How well do you think you’ve gotten to know me in the last two minutes?”

“Well off the top of my head,” Kay answered confidently. “You live with your Aunt, Kathrin Spruce, on North Street, you left your old home do to issues with your dad, you’re an Aquarius…..” she paused momentarily, “and you’re a smoker. How’d I do?”

Beverly was silent, surprised by how the girl’s guesses had been entirely correct. “How…...” she awkwardly trailed before Kay cut her off.

“I was walking one day when I heard your aunt say quote-unquote ‘That rat-faced pile of shit. I told you not to marry him Elfie’ while she was doing lawn work. The stone on the necklace you wore the other day was an amethyst, meaning your birthday is in February. The doodles on the back of your notebook show a creative and free spirited side, traits common for Aquarians, and most importantly, I can see the pack of cigarettes in your pocket.”

_Wait what_? Looking down, Beverly realized that the top of a cigarette pack was just sticking out, almost completely hidden otherwise. “You’re good.” she said, impressed.

“It’s a gift.” Kay crooned, proud of herself. “Friendly advice, smoker to smoker. Best place to do it is the back corner next to the football field. Right behind to the stands so one can see.”

“You smoke?”

“Gotta find some way to cope with the daily bullshit that goes on in the hell hole.” Kay joked, the two girls exchanging a laugh. “I could show you some time. Could use a smoking-buddy.”

Before Beverly could answer, a kid came running into the classroom. “Kay! It’s Ashley and her cronies, they’re going after your friend again.”

Kay’s expression immediately turned serious. “Where are they?” She asked, practically jumping out of her seat.

“The girl’s bathroom.” The student answered, backing up in fear of Kay’s anger. Beverly remained seated. The very mention of the girl’s bathroom brought her mind back to the beginning of last summer. When Greta and her lackies dumped garbage water on her in one of the stalls. It was one of the most disgusting things that had happened to her in her life, at least until what happened in her own bathroom.

“Sorry Marsh, I gotta go bust some heads.” Kay apologized bringing Beverly back to the here and now. “Maybe next time!” She yelled as she ran out of the classroom and down the hall. Without hesitation, Beverly hastily threw her notebook into her bag and followed Kay to the girl’s room. Perhaps she shouldn’t be getting involved. It’s not like she actually knew whoever it was that was being bullied in the girl’s room. The only connection she had to this person was a brief conversation with one of her friends.

But there was something in the way Kay reacted to the news. Like this ‘Ashley’ person went after her friend before. That this wasn’t the first time her friend had been victimized. It brought back so many memories of bullying. Of letting people hurt her and being unable to do anything. Being helpless.

She wasn’t gonna stand back and let someone else fell that way. Not if she had a say in any of it.

Arriving at the girl’s restroom, she was greeted by the sight of Kay being held back by two other girls. Her attention and anger was focused at another girl, who Beverly assumed was Ashley. Ashley slammed her fist against a stall door (the one where Kay’s friend was hiding no doubt). “You still letting your friend fight your battles for you Patty? God could you be any more f*cking pathetic?” She sneered, her cronies laughing as Kay struggled to break free of their grasp.

“Leave her alone!” Beverly shouted, all eyes turning to her. Ashley, surprised by the sudden intrusion, looked at her curiously.

“Who the f*ck are you supposed to be?” She barked. God, this girl reminded Beverly of Greta so much. The same attitude, the same body language. Even their damn voices sounded alike.

“Stay outta this Beverly.” Kay warned, sounding concerned. “This isn’t your problem.”

“Beverly?” Ashley parroted. “Right, you’re the new kid. Well Beverly,” she walked up to the redhead threateningly. “I’m gonna be nice and give you a chance to back away. Otherwise, you’re gonna be in a world of Hell for crossing me.”

Silence, then…..

Beverly laughed like she had heard the funniest joke in the world. “God, you are exactly like her!”

“What’s so f*cking funny new kid?” Ashley growled, fist clenched.

“You! How girls like you think you can be such an entitled bitch and expect to get away with everything!” Beverly answered, unfettered by her foe’s attempts at being menacing. “Does every school in the country have one of you?” She asked rhetorically, reviling in how red Ashley’s face was.

Said person wasn’t so amused. “Alright you little shit! Now I’m gonna make your life a living Hell!” She growled, trying to scare Beverly. Contrary to what she believed, the red haired girl was not threatened in the least. Instead she was calm. Eerily calm.

“You think you’re a tough chick don’t you?” She asked in a quiet voice. “You think that just because you can push around people who are weaker than you with no consequences, you’re untouchable. Well tough girl,” Beverly walked up to Ashley, beginning to scare the girl. “How did you deal with your mother taking her own life when you were eight years old? How did you deal with an entire town’s worth of people believing some stupid rumors that you become a whore by the time you were ten years old? How did you deal with your father manipulating you and looking for any excuse to force you into his pants? How did you deal with a f*cking serial killer trying to murder you and friends over an entire summer?!”

By now Bev had forced Ashley against the wall, everyone present having gone silent. “I know what it’s like to be the girl hiding in the bathroom stall.” She whispered, eyes burning with strength. “So if you think I’m gonna let you keep bullying whoever it is in there, you’re out of your Goddamn mind.”

The second Beverly backed off of her, Ashley sent her two goons a look. Letting go of Kay, the walked away,their leader following after them. “Where exactly did you say you were from again?” Kay asked speechlessly.

“The shithole that is Derry.” Beverly shrugged, adrenaline gradually leaving her body. “What about your friend?”

“Shit!” Kay ran to the stall that Ashley had hit. “You okay Pats?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Her friend answered nervously. Opening up the stall door, the two girls were greeted by a blonde girl. “Thanks for the save.”

“Don’t thank me, thank this girl here.” Gently, she grabbed her friend’s shoulders and led her over to Beverly. “Beverly Marsh, this is my friend Patricia Blum.”

“Patty.” The blonde cut in. “Most people call me Patty.”

Beverly smiled. Somehow this whole thing reminded her of how she and Ben first met. How they ran into each other trying to deal with bullies in their own ways. “It’s nice to meet you Patty.”

Wearily, Patty asked “Did…. Were all those things you said to Ashley true? Did you really go through all of that stuff?”

Beverly sighed heavily. “Yup. All true.” The two girls frowned in response. “There was a silver lining in all of it though, I had friends. They’re,” she paused, thinking fondly of the people she left behind in Derry, “they’re the first real family I’ve had in a long time. We where ust a bunch of Losers against the world.”

“You miss ‘em?” Kay asked. Beverly nodded. “Well they sound great.”

“They are.” All this talk about her friends was starting to remind Beverly how much she missed them. Too much for her, she felt the urge to leave. “Um, I should probably get going. My aunt’s probably still waiting for me outside. I’ll see you around.” Before she could get the chance to turn around and leave…

“Wait.” Patty called out. “We - Kay and I -” she said, rubbing her forearm somewhat nervously, “we were supposed to go to the mall with another friend of ours, but she cancelled. You want to come with?”

“New kids gotta stick together right?” Kay asked, clearly wanting her to come along.

Beverly stood still. She looked at the two girls. In their brief conversation, Kay had felt almost sisterly to her. Patty just seemed like a nice person in general. Thinking back to the Losers, she remembered how alone she felt until they came into her life, and that same feeling of loneliness had been crawling back into her life after she left Derry. Here these two were, practically offering her a chance at new friendships on a silver platter. They couldn’t ever replace what she had with the Losers, but….

“Sure.” _Why not? _“Sounds fun.”

Smiling, the three girls walked out of the girl’s bathroom together. “Your dad actually tried to rape you?” Patty asked, sounding both horrified and disgusted at the thought of a father doing that to his daughter.

“Yeah, but don’t worry.” Bev smirked. “I bashed him over the head with a toilet seat and broke his skull when he tried."

Kay smiled, impressed. “Damn Marsh, you are a _badass_.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...surprise! Bev's new friends are Kay and Patty. Admittedly, if you caught Kay's brief cameo early at the end of chapter 4, this doesn't come off as a surprise. I figured that if I was going to keep Beverly moving in with her Aunt (Fun Fact: I give her the last name 'Spruce' because it's the maiden name of Stephen King's wife Tabitha), then I might as well give her some new friends so that she's not totally alone. My options were 'OC characters that I would have to spend time and effort designing' or 'take minor characters from the original novel and give them some a larger role." You can guess which one I went with. By that logic, you can probably guess who the friend Patty mentioned is gonna be.
> 
> (Me: *processing how vague this line is* Oh, the character's female and it's not Myra. No one cares about her.)
> 
> Just so we're clear, while the three of them do have a role as "Beverly's New Girl Friends", they are not going to be official members of the Losers Club (Richie is gonna make that perfectly clear when they they eventually all interact in a later chapter, Georgie is the last member of the group and they don't need any more).
> 
> Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to be trash and wait until the next season of Sabrina is released on Netflix, followed by waiting for the Locke and Key release. To paraphrase "Brooklyn 99": I've only had Bode for one trailer, but if anything happens to him, I'll murder everyone in this room and then myself.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. See you next time.


	8. Confessions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Somehow, Stan ends up being the one people tell their secrets to...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Me circa 1 month ago*: "Alright, time to get to work. Mark it down, February 7th-" *proceeds to exit Microsoft Word and open up Netflix before watching Locke and Key for the following two weeks*
> 
> *Me 2 weeks ago*: "WOO! That was a ride. Okay for real, time to get working. What's today? Oh the 26th.... wait a second." *proceeds to open up Netflix again before watching I Am Not Okay With This across the next week*
> 
> *Me 3 days ago*: "Well, February was a good month for me (note to myself; find a way to fit some more actor allusions into this story at some point, shouldn't be too hard), even if it did take away from writing this next chapter here."
> 
> Quick warning, there is a brief nod to homophobia at one point, but it's very small. 
> 
> Otherwise, Enjoy!

_November 12th 1989_

If there was one of the few things Stan was still sure of after _that_ summer, it was that he was the unspoken voice of reason within the Losers Club. It was always him who tried to keep everyone, mostly Richie, out of trouble. It was him who spoke out when someone else said something insane or nonsensical. Who was it who rolled their eyes at the general lack of common sense in the group? Oh that’s right, it was him! There was a benefit to being the unheard sane man though. It made him very adept at reading his friends.

He had practically memorized most of their body languages. He knew the _exact_ hand gestures Eddie would make whenever he was hyper, and the expressions Richie would make right before he would make a joke. He’d recognize the subtle gestures Ben would make when he was brainstorming ideas on improving the Club House, and how Bill would act when he was trying to hide how he was really feeling….

That last one, it would seem, runs in the family. Last week, Georgie had gone to the Tozier’s place for the day while his parents took Bill to his speech therapist an hour outside of Derry, the first time since Georgie went missing. While Stan didn’t know the exact details, he did know something must have happened to make Georgie uncharacteristically avoid Richie the last few days. Normally, Stan didn’t like to get involved in his friends’ personal business. This time however…. well, after his brother Richie was Georgie’s favorite. Something had to be going on for the kid to ever ignore him, it was too out of character.

So now here he was. Bill had another appointment, and he had volunteered to watch Georgie this time around.

“You sure you don’t wanna color Stan?” He asked, looking up from the page his was filling in.

“I’m okay Georgie.” Stan declined, causing him to frown. Seeing the best opportunity, he went straight to the point. “Why have you been avoiding Richie?”

Georgie froze, before answering in a haste. “I haven’t been avoiding Richie.”

“What happened when you were hanging out with him last?”

“Nothing…happened.” Georgie’s conviction weakened, another hint that something was off.

“Why are you being so secretive?”

“Because I can’t tell anyone –” He started to shout before catching himself, but it was too late.

_Checkmate_. Stan said internally. “Why can’t you?”

Georgie looked away. “It’s a secret.”

“Georgie, I’m your friend. You can tell me if you have a secret.”

“That’s the thing.” Georgie murmured. “It’s not my secret. It’s Richie’s, and he doesn’t _know_ that I know.”

_Oh_. That would explain it.

When you’re a kid, one of the hardest things to do is a keep a secret. It’s tantalizing. How much you want to spill your guts out and say ‘Hey! I know something you don’t know!’ Yet no matter what happens, you know you can’t tell anyone, lest you face the consequences. A secret that people don’t realize you know, now that’s the worst kind. You want to get it off your chest so you can ask someone what to do, but you can’t. It ends up eating you from the inside out until you just want to scream.

Trying a less blunt approach, Stan spoke slowly. “It sounds pretty big. Can you give me a hint as to what it is?”

The eight year old remained silent. “Georgie, whatever happened, whatever it is you found out, it’s affecting you, and soon, it’s going to affect the others. Did you know Richie came to me the other day and said he felt bad? He thinks he did something and now you don’t like him anymore?”

“I do!” He exclaimed. “I mean I don’t, I – UGH!” Groaning, Georgie flung himself onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Sighing, he continued to gaze up until Stan entered his field of view, making the _awkwardest _smile Georgie had ever seen him make.

“What are you doing?” He asked, perplexed.

Instantly, the smile vanished. “I was trying to cheer you up.” Stan answered, feeling somewhat stupid.

“You’re not very good at making faces.” Georgie giggled. “It’s more like _this_.” He explained before crossing his eyes, tilting his head and sticking his tongue out. Trying not to look stupid, Stan attempted to mirror Georgie’s odd expression. Key word _attempted_. “You’re getting better.”

“Hahaha.” Stan chuckled, finding some levity in the situation, which in turn caused Georgie to laugh as well. “I’m sorry, if I was too demanding. If you don’t want to talk about it….”

“No. You’re right. I need to tell someone or I’m gonna go _crazy_.” Jumping off of the comforter, Georgie peeked his head out the bedroom door. Once he saw neither of Stan’s parents were around, he shut the door before rushing back to Stan. “You can’t tell anyone I told you this.”

“I won’t.”

“Pinky swear?”

“Pinky swear.” Stan replied, before Georgie actually held out his pinky. “I solemnly swear to keep this a secret.” He promised.

Georgie sighed. “Okay. When Richie and I were playing hide and seek, I ran into his closet – which was _really_ messy by the way!” Stan rolled his eyes at that remark. “I found this crumpled up piece of paper. I wanted to know what it said, so I open the door a little to read it and…..” He paused, either not remembering what it said or not wanting to reveal something that might have been personal.

“Richie likes Eddie. The way Billy and Ben like Beverly.”

….

….

….

“Oh.”

Georgie blinked, surprised at how blasé Stan’s response was. This had been eating at him all week and Stan’s reaction was just ‘oh?’ After all this he acts like Georgie said something obvious. The only time that reaction was appropriate was when, unless he…..“You already knew didn’t you?”

“You think I roll my eyes at the two of them all the time to see if I can make myself dizzy?” The Jewish boy answered, voice dripping with sarcasm.

Immediately, he was bombarded with a plethora of questions from the younger boy. “When did you find out!? Did Richie tell you himself!? Why didn’t you say anything!? Do you think Eddie likes him back!?”

“Georgie! Georgie, slow down.” Stan soothed. “Look, Richie told me about that in confidence. Do you know what that means?” The boy nodded ‘no’. “It means he told me to keep it a secret. Georgie… the people in this town are backwards. They don’t like certain people, all because of the stupidest things.”

“Like how Bowers and his friends went after Mike? Just because his skin was a different color?”

“Just like that. And people like Richie, people who are attracted to the same sex, they have it the worst. You know how Richie is always saying he’s good with girls? He only says that because he’s trying to hide that he likes boys.”

“What happens if people found out?”

Stan sighed. “I can’t say for sure, but it won’t be good. All I can say is that he doesn’t want anyone else to know. He already had a tough time just telling me.”

Curious, Georgie asked “When did he tell you that he liked boys?”

Stan began to recollect on that day, the faintest hint of a smile on his features. “It was during last summer, the day of my Bar Mitzvah. I had just said somethings in the middle of my speech….”

…..

_He couldn’t believe he just did that. And at his Bar Mitzvah of all places! Not only did he call out the general adult population of Derry for being the uncaring assholes that they were, he swore out the Rabbi – his own father no less – before storming out! Oh, he was going to be in hot water for the rest of his life!_

_“There he is! Stan the OFFICIAL Man!” Richie clapped, walking up behind him. “I gotta say, out of all the things I’ve seen you do, that was by far the most badass. ‘Course that’s not really much, you’re kinda boring. ”_

_‘Thanks.” He shrugged. Even if Richie’s jokes were terrible, there was something Stan found reassuring about them. Maybe it was that Richie was always making them in a misplaced attempt to keep everyone’s spirits up, or the familiarity of knowing that even after all that’s happened with IT, they were always there. Of course, he’d never admit that out loud. It would only make Richie’s already big head swell up even more. “My dad’s gonna kill me.”_

_“Bah! Don’t sweat too much on him Stan the Man.” Richie laughed. “He’ll get over it eventually.”_

_  
Rolling his eyes, Stan proceeded to refute Richie’s statement. “First, you do remember what my dad is like right? Second, have you gotten over what happened with Bill at Neibolt?”_

_“Way to kick a man in the dick.” Richie groaned before sitting down. “But for the record he started it!”_

_“I didn’t say it was you.”_

_“Look I get it. I miss Georgie too okay. That little scamp was kinda like the group mascot, but….” Richie trailed forlornly, “but Bill needs to wake up and get that Georgie isn’t coming back. It almost got Eddie and the rest of us killed!”_

_Harsh as he was, Richie did have a point. Bill’s obsession with finding his brother made him reckless and impulsive. He rushed into the Neibolt house without thinking of the consequences and the rest of them almost had to pay for it. Stan had to say what he said, he couldn’t just stay silent and let Bill keep risking their lives because he was in denial. No matter what happened, he _would not _go back into that house._

_That was almost three weeks ago. They hadn’t been together, all seven of them, since. They’d still run into each other around Derry, but those were token at most. It just wasn’t the same, and it didn’t look like that would change anytime soon. It left a sort of void, in Stan's life. He had never felt closer to anyone than the Losers, and now they had drifted apart. Until he saw Richie sitting in back in the synagogue, he was sure none of them were going to show up today.  
_

_“Thank you… for coming I mean.”_

_“Ah it was no big deal.” Richie dismissed._

_“I mean it.” Stan stated firmly. “As much as you get on my nerves and give my gray hairs at thirteen…” Richie chuckled at that comment. “….you’re my best friend. If anyone had to come today, I’m glad it’s you.”_

_Richie was stunned. This was probably the most sincere Stan had ever been with him. Between this and the speech, it felt like he was seeing a different side of his friend. It was….sort of surreal, yet at the same time comforting, to know that underneath all his passive aggressiveness Stan considered him to be his best friend._

_“….I was at the arcade the other day.” Richie said, seemingly out of nowhere. He spoke like he was… ashamed? “I was playing _Street Fighter_ when this kid, who I’d never met before, comes up to me and asks if he could play, so I let him. We were having fun when…. It turns out he was Bowers’ cousin.”_

_“Shit. Richie-” Despite the pain Stan could see in his eyes, Richie kept going._

_“He… he says he’s not my boyfriend when all I’m trying to do is get him to play another round. Then Bowers shows up…. and he starts screaming at me. Everyone was watching us and I… I just stood there and let him call me a fa**ot and throw me out.”_

_Stan was silent, though his face did a good job at exposing how shocked he was._

_“Worse thing is, he was right. All this time,” Richie began to tear up. “I told myself it was all in my head… I wasn’t like that. But… at Neibolt, when that f*cking clown went after Eddie, when I thought IT was gonna kill us… all I could think about was protecting him. How if anything happened to him I’d….. I realized that… ”_

_“Stan I’m gay… and I’m in love with Eddie.” He finished, tears starting to run down his cheeks._

_Seeing how upset Richie was, Stan pulled his friend into a hug. “It’s okay Rich.”_

_“I thought… I thought if I just ignored how I felt then….maybe it wouldn’t be true.” Richie cried, voice breaking between sobs. “I feel so messed up.”_

_“There’s nothing wrong with you Richie. Look if I’m being honest, I always sort of knew you like Eddie.”_

_“Thanks for saying nothing.” Richie said sarcastically, before laughing dryly. “Here I am telling you my darkest secret and you already knew.”  
_

_“It wasn’t my place to say anything Tozier. Look,” he brought Richie’s gaze to his own. “You shouldn’t feel ashamed of how you feel. Derry is messed up, but not everyone here is like Bowers. I don’t think of you any differently now than I did before, none of us will.”_

_“You mean that?” Richie asked meekly._

_“Of course I do. I told you, you’re my best friend. Nothing can change that.”_

_….._

“....After that, I told him I wouldn’t tell anyone unless he was ready for more people to know.”

“Wow Stan.” Georgie said, breathless. “Did that really happen?”

Stan almost looked offended by Georgie’s comment. “Yes, it did. So, now that you know, are you going to tell him?”

_What do I do now?_ Georgie asked himself. If what Stan said was true, Richie didn’t want anyone else to know about his feelings for Eddie, at least not yet. “I’m gonna let him tell everyone else first.”

“You sure?”

Georgie shook his head fervently. “It’s his secret. I should let him tell me and everyone else when he’s ready, like he did with you.”

“That’s very mature of you Georgie.”

“So... I don't want to go up to Richie and tell him I know his secret, and that makes me mature, but you can try to get me to tell you my secret when I don't want to?” Georgie pointed out. "That doesn't sound right."

It had now occurred to Stan how that, when you look at it that way, he did come off like a bit of a hypocrite. "Um...."

_I could have planned this out better._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stan knew about Richie's feelings for Eddie
> 
> (you can’t) Change My Mind
> 
> Even if Wyatt Oleff, Andy Bean, Bill Hader, Finn Wolfhard, the Muschiettis, Gary Dauberman or anyone else says otherwise, I wouldn't believe them.
> 
> It's late, I'm tired and I can't think of anything else to say. So I won't.
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you next time!


	9. Family Dynamics

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Family is both the greatest love and the biggest pain. Ben knows that with just how hard his home life is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm back. Today we get some insight into Ben's family life. Enjoy!

Ben Hanscom loved his mother. He wasn’t a momma’s boy, but he was close to his mother nonetheless. She was caring, but not smothering like Eddie’s mom. Attentive, but without being invasive. Even the other Losers admitted Arlene Hanscom was probably one of the better parents in Derry.

The same couldn’t be said for the rest of her family however. Ben couldn’t stand them, and they made it crystal clear they didn’t care for him either. His aunt was always making snide comments right in front of him, calling him a weirdo and saying his mother’s life would be much easier if he was more like everyone else his age. His cousins, while mercifully nowhere near as bad as Henry Bowers was, were still jerks and bullies in their own right.

The worst part though? Living in the same house as them.

…..

_September 1988_

_The drive was silent, Ben’s nose in a book for most of it. Not even his mother pointing out the ‘Welcome to Derry’ sign could get him to speak up. After moving around so many times, never really having a place to really call home, he was sort of numb to the feeling of arriving in a new town. He never held it against his mother though. She was just trying to do her best, it was hard raising a child as a single parent. The only thing that made moving different this time was it wasn’t going to be the two of them anymore._

_For years, Arlene’s sister had been trying to get her to move in with her and her sons. Though his mother was adamantly against it, after losing one too many jobs, she really didn’t have much of a choice._

_And now here they were, pulling up into the driveway of Aunt Jean’s house, she and her sons Mitchell and Bradley already outside. “Arlene!” She called out, already walking up to her sister as she and Ben got out of the car. “It’s been too long.”_

_“Hi Jean.” Arlene yawned, tired from the long trip._

_“And Ben….” Jean said with a fake smile. “You look bigger than the last time I saw you.”_

_Trying to hold be polite, Ben just smiled back. “Hi Aunt Jean.”_

_“Hey there, ‘Benny.’” Mitchell mockingly greeted, grinning wickedly at him. “So glad you’re moving in.”_

_“Yeah.” Bradley quipped, less subtle with his dissatisfaction. “Real happy to see you every day now instead of just holidays.”_

_The two brothers were everything Ben wasn’t. Athletic, confident and popular with their peers. Mitchell was a pitcher for the Derry High baseball team, while Bradley was a runner for their school’s track and field team. Both of them loved to mock and belittle him, though Mitchell was probably the lesser of the two evils. He favored pranks and rough housing, while Bradley favored passive-aggressive comments much like their mother. Even with their differing methods, they were still just two heads of the same hydra. _

_“Now boys, be nice.” Aunt Jean scolded half-heartedly._

_The rest of the day passed painfully slow. Most of it was spent unpacking whatever things Ben and his mom could fit into their car (everything else wouldn’t arrive for another two days). Needless to say, the whole experience was torturous._

_“Mitch stop that, you’re going to make him even shorter than he already is.” Bradley dryly snarked as Mitchell jumped Ben with a particularly aggressive noogie. Aunt Jean said nothing on the ordeal, instead going through his things with a perplexed look on her face._

_“So strange…” she muttered. “He must not get a lot of time outside.”_

_By noon, Ben was exhausted, nearly collapsing onto his bed. He knew he couldn’t blame his mother for this, but why did her family have to be so terrible! Ironically, if what he had heard about his late father’s side of the family was true and they did cut all ties with him after learning he got his college girlfriend pregnant, then they were the more loving relatives by comparison. Then again, he had few memories of his father, so he really had nothing to compare them too._

_“How are you holding up?” His mother asked nervously, standing in front of his room. “I know this moving thing is never easy but…” Sitting down next to Ben, who was currently lying down, Arlene looked at her son with anxious eyes. “You know you can tell me anything, right?”_

_Ben averted his mother’s gaze. “I know.” He muttered, “I’m not angry with you or anything. I just wish they were nicer.”_

_Arlene sighed, gently laying a hand on his shoulder. “I know that Jean and the boys are… difficult. Believe me, it wasn’t easy growing up in the same house as her, and now here I am living with her again. Making the decision to move here wasn’t easy, but we were out of options. _ _I wish your father was here so that… so that we didn’t have to keep moving. But he’s not. He knew the dangers of his line of work and he choose to be a hero.”_

_“Sometimes I wish I knew him better.” Ben moaned. He was so young when his father passed, and held so little memory of him that it felt like he never had a father at all._

_Smiling, Arlene seemed to feel lighter. “He was such a hopeless romantic. He always knew how to make me feel special, I couldn’t help falling for him. You get that from him you know.”_

“Yeah right.”_ He thought disbelievingly. No girl would ever be interested in him. He wasn’t athletic, he liked to read most of the time, and most damningly of all, he was the fat kid. But he couldn’t say that out loud. The only thing that would hurt his mom more than feeling like a bad mom and failing to take care of him was seeing him have so little confidence in himself._

_Hiding his feelings with a smile, Ben instead got up and hugged his mother. “Thanks mom.”_

_“You’re welcome Benny.”_

….

_One Year Later_

“…Ben? Ben? BEN!?” Georgie called, snapping him out of his memory. “You’re supposed to be helping me with my report.”

Ben shook his head. “Right sorry. I was just thinking about something?”

Just then, the front door opened. Judging by Aunt Jean’s excited squeals, it was her boys. The two had graduated just before the start of summer vacation, and were currently attending the University of Maine. Unfortunately, they still liked to visit from time to time. Ben was sure it was mostly just an excuse to ridicule him in person.

“Are those your cousins Ben?”

Ben sighed. He seldom talked about his family, and rarely invited the other Losers over. Apart from his mother, he really tried to keep them away from the rest of his family. “Yes.” Here’s to hoping they were going to ignore him.

“So then I tell coach-” Mitchell says to his brother, stopping when they took notice of the two boys. “Hey Benny!” He exclaimed, too eager for Ben’s liking.

“Not now….” Ben muttered.

“Whatcha working on?” Bradley chuckled, grabbing paper in front of Ben.

“Hey! That’s mine!” Cried Georgie, startling the two, who had only now just noticed him.

Mitchell looked at the two skeptically. Taking a closer look at the little tot, he asked “Who’s the kid?”

“This is Georgie.” Ben answered, the two eyeing his cousins skeptically. “I’m helping him with a project for school.”

“Yeah, give it back!” Georgie whined.

Bradley sneered, before taking a closer look at Georgie. Whatever he noticed, if anything, brought a change in his expression. He motioned his brother over and whispered something in his ear.

“You serious?” Mitchell murmured in shock, eying Georgie once more. If Ben had to hazard a guess, Bradley must have recognized Georgie from either his missing poster or from the newspaper article talking about Henry Bowers’ arrest after what happened a few weeks ago. Either way, the two seemed hesitant to stick around.

“Sorry about what happened to your arm Georgie.”

“It’s real horrible what happened to you.”

Surprisingly, the two sounded sincere. A rarity for them really, they never gave Ben the same level of empathy. The last time that happened was when they accidentily saw the ‘H’ Bowers had carved into his stomach and left him alone for the rest of the week.

Acting as if nothing had happened, the two recomposed themselves. “We’ll uh… leave you guys to your thing.” Bradley said uncomfortably, giving Georgie back his paper before following his brother out of the room.

Georgie frowned. “I don’t like your cousins Ben. They’re mean.”

“I know.” He sighed.

“Why don’t you tell them to stop?”

“It’s…complicated.” Ben paused, not sure how to answer. “They’re my family. They took us in when we needed help. I guess I’m just grateful they’re aren’t as bad as they can be.”

Though others his age would have most likely believed him, Georgie didn’t seem to buy it. “Still,” he pouted, “Family shouldn’t treat each other like that.”

Smiling, Ben gently tapped Georgie on the nose. “It’s not all that bad. You guys are my family too, and that’s more important to me.”

“It is?” Georgie asked, puzzled.

“Yeah. If you care about someone, and they care about you, that’s all that matters.”

Grinning, Georgie seemed to understand. “Well,” he smirked mischievously, “you wouldn’t be upset if I did this!”

Before Ben could react, the little tot jumped onto his back, one-armed grip surprisingly firm. Rather than shake him off, he decided to have fun with the kid. “Hold on!” he cheered, beginning to spin round and round like a tilt-a-whirl ride. Georgie’s laughter was loud and full of joy, echoing across the walls and carrying throughout Ben’s home.

So what if Ben’s home life wasn’t ideal, he had his friends. His first real friends that, at the end of the day, who didn’t care if he was a little big for his age, or if he likes some boy band most guys would make fun of girls for listening to.

They were his family too, and if moving to Derry and dealing with Aunt Jean and his cousins meant getting to meet their small group of misfits and outcasts, than it wasn’t all that bad in Ben’s mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one was particularly hard to write, and I know why: It's because I decided to write up a Ben-focus chapter that didn't have anything to do with Benverly.
> 
> Originally I was planning on going into more detail on this, but since I doubt I can fit all my thoughts within the appropriate number of characters properly, I've decided to leave that in the comments section of this chapter. Read that if you want.
> 
> The only other thing to note is that, while coming up with the concept of this chapter, I couldn't find anything that named Ben's relatives. Then I checked the cast-list for the 90's miniseries on IMDb, and saw an 'Aunt Jean' credited above Ben's mother, so I went with that. As for Ben's cousins, I just came up with the most generic, a**-hole sounding names I could think of. No offense to anyone actually named Bradley or Mitchell, I just think the two names have a sort of 'mean, jerk-ish' quality to them.
> 
> Kudos and comments are greatly appreciated. And of course, given the current status of the world right now, stay safe. See you next time.


	10. In The Dog House

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Denbroughs receive an unexpected visit when a friend discovers a secret about his past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back, and have decided to come out of hiding as the world figuratively burns down. Honestly I'm just trying to survive 2020 like the rest of you out there. Just take it one day at a time, and something good might happen... like Netflix greenlighting Seasons 4-7 of The Dragon Prince for instance, but that's just me.
> 
> Not too overly confident with this one since inspiration and the desire to write have been on the slow side, but as they say; When in doubt.... torture your characters for fun. So heads up, this chapter contains a healthy does of ANGST!

_March 15, 1990_

Dinner in the Denbrough household was unusually quiet tonight. The only sounds were that of the early spring rains pelting against the window, and the almost five month old Chip. The moment the downpour began, the retriever pup hid under Georgie’s seat, whimpering ever so loudly whenever the rains came down harder.

“It’s okay Chip.” Georgie soothed, leaning down to pet his companion. “It’s just a little rain.”

“He really doesn’t like storms, does he?” Sharon remarked.

“Yeah I nu-noticed that too.” Bill added. In the near three months since adopting Chip, it had become clear that the pup was not a fan of the rain. Whenever it so much as drizzled, he would run to Georgie for safety and only calm down when the boy reassured him it was okay. In a way, Bill found it oddly poetic that Georgie’s first pet shared in the family’s dislike for rainy days.

Georgie, still gingerly rubbing Chip’s head, looked back at his brother. “Do you think he knows about… you know, _IT_?”

“Maybe.” Zack said, not registering the specifics of what his youngest meant. “Dogs are a lot better at reading things like that compared to most people.”

“They are?”

“Yup.”

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

The sudden pounding drew the Denbroughs’ collective attention. Jolting from under the chair, Chip rain towards the front door as another set of knocks rang out.

_Knock. Knock. Knock_

“Who is that?” Sharon questioned as she got up to answer the door. Much to her surprise, she found that the one knocking was one of her sons’ friends. “Eddie, hi.”

The Denbrough brothers shot a glance at each other. While Eddie’s appearance wasn’t unwelcomed, it was still surprising. Leaning towards the front door, they could just make out their mother say ‘It’s no problem at all’ before shutting the door. Mere seconds later, they were greeted by the unmistakable sound of Eddie fussing over something.

“Hey, Hey! Calm down! Someone please calm this dog down!” Even now, Eddie still wasn’t the biggest fan of Chip.

“Come here Chip!” Georgie called, his pet answering instantly and running back to the kitchen. Eddie and their mother came in moments later, the former soaked by the rain.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” The two brothers greeted their friend, who seemed uncharacteristically drained.

“Hey.”

…..

_A few moments earlier_

Eddie cycled through the rain unyieldingly, despite some strong winds threatening to slow him down. He hadn’t intended to be out in this weather so long, but the universe had other plans. What was originally meant to be a quick trip to Richie’s had turned into an extended trip from there to Bill and Georgie’s. What happened between him and his mother was still fresh in his mind. How furious he was when he found out what she had done, and how she refused to take any responsibility for her actions. The old him would have stayed quiet and let her continue to get away with it, but not anymore.

Pulling up to the Denbrough home, Eddie ran up the porch and knocked on the door in rapid bursts. From inside, he could hear Georgie’s retriever running around. ‘_Figures the dog freaks out from someone knocking at the door_,_’_ he thought to himself right before Sharon Denbrough opened the door.

“Eddie, hi.” She greeted, though Eddie could tell she was still surprised.

“Hi Mrs. Denbrough.” He said politely, hoping she wouldn’t turn him away. “Could I um, maybe spend the night? That’s not a problem is it?”

From the look on her face, Eddie could tell she had caught onto the fact he was upset. “It’s no problem at all.” She replied as she ushered him through the doorway, closing it behind him.

Just as Eddie finished hanging his jacket up to dry, Georgie’s dog suddenly bolted straight at him. For a little guy, Chip was surprisingly energetic, jumping up and down in an attempt to get Eddie’s attention. “Someone please calm this dog down!” He shouted, not having the energy to deal with something this small and attention craved. Thankfully Georgie had heard him and called his dog, who ran back into the kitchen where the two brothers greeted him with puzzled looks.

“Hey. Sorry from showing up outta nowhere.” Eddie apologized as he took Sharon’s seat. “I got into a pretty bad fight with my mom…and I needed a place to stay for the night. I hope it’s okay?”

“Of cu-course it is.” If you asked anyone who Eddie Kaspbrak’s best friend was, they’d answer Richie Tozier every time, despite how easily he agitated the former. If you asked anyone who Eddie’s _oldest_ friend was, you’d get Bill Denbrough as the only response. Ask anyone in the same age group and they’d tell you the two had been friends since around the start of kindergarten. They’d tell you that, even back then, it was a strange match-up. The fiery, hyperactive germaphobe and the boy who was mocked for stuttering through his sentences? It almost felt like a cheesy sitcom. Despite their opposing natures, the two quickly became each other’s closet friend. Though as time went on and the group expanded to its now eight members, the two had grown apart somewhat. They both found others within the group that they could spend more time with, but there was an unspoken rule that Bill and Eddie were friends first. “You’re always we-welcome here, Eddie.”

Eddie smiled gratefully. “Thanks guys.”

“Hey Eddie.” Georgie beamed, innocently looking at him with big eyes. “When Billy and I are done eating, you wanna play a game? You can pick!”

“Sure. Just don’t get upset when I win.” Eddie joked.

…..

_CRASH!_

“Yes!” Georgie cheered, throwing his arms up victoriously.

“Okay, how do you keep winning at this!?” Eddie half shouted. They had been playing a few rounds of Jenga, and Georgie had won everyone so far. “How can anyone be this good at this game?”

“I learned from Ben.” Georgie explained, fresh off his fourth victory in a row. “He said you have to look at the bricks and pick the ones that are the most stuckturlilly sound.”

“Su-su-structurally sound.” Bill corrected, still grinning at how adorably arrogant his brother was trying to be.

“Yeah that.” Georgie shrugged dismissively.

By now, Eddie was feeling much better. Disregarding the attempts at gloating, Georgie was being sweet at always, and Bill’s big brother attitude was comforting. Both Denbrough parents came to check up on them once and a while, clearly to make sure he was doing well specifically. In a way, it was both nice… and upsetting. Eddie didn’t know why, but some part of him felt off put by how supportive the Denbroughs were.

Well, most of them.

Ever since they went upstairs, Chip had been attempting to get close to Eddie. Even now, the retriever was trying to cuddle up next to the former germaphobe, looking up at him with big, round eyes.

“Georgie could you please tell your dog to stop looking at me like that?” Eddie asked through gritted teeth.

“Chip, come here boy.” Georgie commanded. Uncharacteristically, Chip did not respond. “Come here boy.” He tried again, only to receive the same results.

“Th-that’s weird. He always lu-listens to Georgie.” Observed Bill. Thinking back to the conversation at the dinner table, he recalled what their dad had said about dogs being good at reading people. “Maybe he nu-knows you’re upset?”

“What?” Scoffed Eddie. “He’s a dog! Why would he think that?”

“Well aren’t you?” Georgie asked innocently. “What even happened between you and your mom anyways?”

“I don’t have you answer that.” Eddie snapped back, harshly.

“He was ju-just asking.” Despite Bill’s attempts, Georgie’s question had set Eddie off on a rampage.

“You wanna know why I came here?! Fine!” Without saying another word, Eddie practically ran downstairs, coming back moments later with something in hand. “It’s because of this!” He yelled, throwing what he brought with him down in front of the Denbroughs.

Hesitantly, the brothers looked down to see that their friend was so upset about. Much to their surprise, it was a card, the words ‘Happy Birthday’ printed in colorful letters.

“A birthday card?” Georgie asked, perplexed.

“It’s from my dad’s family.”

_Oh._

That explained it. Frank Kaspbrak was a mystery to his own son. He passed away from cancer when Eddie was only four years old. The only things Eddie really knew about were from rather vague memories of that time. His mother seldom ever mentioned him, and when she did it was as part of an attempt to guilt trip Eddie into obeying her.

Reluctantly, Bill opened up the card and read it aloud. ‘_Dear Eddie. We hu-hu-hope you have a happy bu-birthday. Congrats on turning ei-eight years old. Love, Uncle Joey and the fu-fu-family.’_

“You have an uncle?”

“More than one, apparently.”

“Wu-where did you fu-find this?”

Eddie blushed at Bill’s question. “I…that’s not important!” He denied furiously. “The point is that my mom has been hiding this from me for over five years! I have family out there whom my mom has been trying to keep me from ever since my dad died!”

“Eddie.” Georgie pleaded, trying to keep calm.

“No Georgie you don’t get it!” Eddie screamed, letting all the anger and frustration at his mother out. “You and Bill have perfectly normal f***ing parents! You don’t have a mother who lies to you! Who tells you you’re sick and makes you take a bunch of bulls**t pills to keep you under her thumb like the good little boy she raised! Who keeps you from the people who love you and want what’s best for you for YEARS! A mother who…. who….” Words dying in his throat, Eddie fell down on his knees and cried.

“……that’s te-te-terrible.” Bill said, he and his brother watching as their friend sobbed.

“She didn’t even feel sorry for what she did.” Eddie bemoaned through the tears.

_“What else Ma?”_ The question had rung loudly through the Kaspbrak home. What else besides this card had she been keeping from him? Was this the only one, or had there been other attempts by his father’s family too keep in touch that his mother had foiled? She wouldn’t answer, but the way she deflected his questions was all Eddie needed to know. Instead she wailed on and on about how ‘they’ were going to take him away from her after Frank had passed away. There wasn’t even the slightest droplet of remorse in her voice.

Feeling bold, Chip walked up to Eddie and gently nudged at his cheeks. To the brothers’ surprise, Eddie welcomed the pup’s affection with a warm smile. “You knew I was upset, didn’t you boy?” Chip whined, as if you answer yes. “Thank you.”

Before Eddie knew it, he was surrounded by one and a half pairs of arms. “We’re so sorry that happened to you Eddie.” Georgie’s words were muffled, his face was buried into the crook of Eddie’s neck. “You’re mom’s really terrible.”

The boldness of that statement made Eddie snort and laugh simultaneously. “She really is Georgie.”

“Wu-what are you going to do know?”

Eddie sighed, unsure. If his mother had cut off all communication with her deceased husband’s family to keep him all to herself, what’ll she say if he goes for a part-time job? Or starts looking into Driver’s Ed.? Would she even let him leave for college without moving out of Derry with him? “I don’t know Bill. But I know one thing.”

“I wanna find out more about my dad’s family.”

The brothers shared a look, both thinking the same thing. “We’ll help you Eddie. We all will.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not the only one who thinks we were denied several good relationships in the films right? And I don't mean romantic relationships I mean friendships between the characters. I know, like I said last time, they were adapting a LOOOOOOOOOOOOONG book, the minute things could have been left out, but still. 
> 
> Not my best one, as I said earlier, but I tried.
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated.
> 
> See you next time.

**Author's Note:**

> What did you think? Overly ambitious at some points? Well here's a fun fact; Stephen King's advice for writers includes that they be selfish, to acknowledge that their works won't make everyone happy and that they focus on their own happiness, and this made me happy.
> 
> I just wanted my children to be happy, and if that means screwing with the canons established by both the novel, the miniseries and the films, then so be it!
> 
> Kudos and comments are gladly appreciated. See you next time!


End file.
